What Dreams May Come
by Kitkat3108
Summary: Her legend was known throughout the known world; The Dreamwalker who saved the Line of Durin, then died alongside her husband. Those in service of The Dark Lord knew better, and had spent 60 years hunting her. When she appears again, the stakes are much higher, and the danger beyond what anyone could imagine. (REWRITE OF THE WITCH OF DAWN)
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.** Hello readers! First thing's first, for those of you who are new to this story, it is a sequel to my other story, "Dreamwalker." I suggest you go and read that one first, as this is a direct follow-on, and you will be rather confused if you decide to read this one alone. To those who have already read Dreamwalker, hello! Glad to have you back, and thank you for continuing with Danica's story. And to those of you who had read "The Witch of Dawn," this is my rewrite of that story. There are still some elements that are the same, but I wasn't happy with the way the story was going, and I think many of you felt the same. One reader also let me know that there were certain aspects that were incredibly AU, that I missed in my research. I will probably stick to the movie timeline for sake of moving things along better.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters, and plot points.

_She was a mythic legend. One that spanned nearly sixty years, and was known by all races. Most called her "Dreamwalker," or "Nightingale." Some thought she had been sent by the Valar; a white witch who traveled through time and across worlds to save those she deemed worthy. She was a woman of love, justice, and war. Only she knew the paths of this world, and only she could alter them. The great King Under the Mountain had been saved by her grace, and become her husband. Their reign was cut short by an orc ambush. At least, that's what the dwarves and the men of Dale say. Those in the south and east know better. The witch is alive, and took her husband with her to another place where they would be safer. _

_ She had to leave, for one darker and more powerful than her began hunting her. He, too, knew that she was alive, for it was his spell that had pulled her away from the mountain. His servants had spent the better part of sixty years searching the world, and waiting for word of her return. They were diligent and thorough, leaving no stone unturned. When she returned, for there was no doubt in their master's mind that she would, they would be there. She belonged to the One, and once she was his, nothing, and no one would stand in their way. So, while the rest of the world moved on in oblivion, they kept their ears open. No one could have expected word to come from the sleepiest place in Middle Earth. _

* * *

Danica sat at a small, wooden table, with a small cup of tea in her hands. Everything was small in this house, including its owner, Bilbo Baggins. He was apparently a hobbit, and Thorin was a dwarf, and she, Danica, was human. She and Thorin had managed to carry the hobbit further inside, and gently wake him. When he came to, he nearly burst into tears at the sight of them. He hugged them both around the neck as they knelt beside him, which left Danica in a near panic. Thorin managed to calm them both down, and Bilbo led them into the kitchen. So, she sat at the table, in the house under the hill, and listened to Thorin and Bilbo talk while she fiddled with the red scarf that had been in her hands.

It had all been so strange. When she had woken up, the name Thorin had been echoing in her mind, as well as a light, warm voice, encouraging her; telling her that everything would be alright. Thorin had been there with her, but she did not know who the other voice belonged to. Though she knew she should be suspicious, she wasn't. She had felt calmed by whoever it was, as well as by Thorin. He was striking, and the more she looked at him, the more striking he became. She wondered at the bruises and bandages on his nose, and the ache in her jaw. Although, to be honest, every part of her ached, but her jaw felt like it had been deeply bruised. They had already cleaned some blood off of her face, and though Bilbo had seemed unsurprised by their other injuries, the blood had him concerned, though he couldn't tell her why.

From what she'd heard, her name was Danica MacKay, and she was from another world. This one was called Middle Earth. Her own world, was just plain earth, and if she focused past the headache, she could see a snow-covered house surrounded by trees. As for their injuries, the last anyone had seen of the two of them had been right after a battle with another dwarf. None of this information seemed to bother Thorin or Bilbo, but Danica wasn't quite sure how to feel. On the one hand, she felt overly bothered by everything, but on the other, she was rather content to just let everything play out. If she was, indeed, from another world, then she seemed to have very little control over what happened.

"Bilbo, how long has it been?" Thorin inquired, the uncertainty in his voice pulling Danica's eyes from her tea. Another cup of tea sat by Thorin as well, but remained untouched. His sword, however, was close by his side.

Their host pressed his lips together for a moment, then sighed, setting a plate of food on the table. "Sixty years,"

Thorin's face went white, making the bruises around his nose stand out, and, for a moment, Danica was worried he would be the next to pass out. Bilbo must have felt the same, for he reached out, but Thorin put up a hand. "Sixty years…" he breathed. "How…"

"I wish I could tell you. All I knew, from a letter I'd received from Fili, was that you and Dani had been ambushed and killed by orcs who had survived the Battle of Five Armies,"

"Battle of Five Armies? Tell me what happened, Bilbo. As much as you can,"

Bilbo sat back, preparing for what would be a long tale.

It all sounded too fantastic to be real, yet she couldn't fully question it. However, despite the masterful story-telling of the hobbit, Danica could tell that he was leaving details out. She suspected they were personal details pertaining to herself and Thorin, but was too afraid to ask. By the pull in his already-stern brow, Thorin noticed as well, but allowed Bilbo to continue. The tale led them through dungeons, rivers, and dragons. Apparently, Danica had helped slay the dragon, and brought about a truce between two races that had been at odds for over a century. After being rescued from a kidnapping, she had been a part of this Battle of Five Armies, though Bilbo had to admit that he didn't remember much, seeing as how he'd been unconscious. He was able to relay what he had heard from others, and, for some reason, what really surprised Thorin was that he had survived.

By the end of Bilbo's story, there were still so many questions left unanswered, that Danica didn't know where to begin. She looked down at the emerald on her left hand, knowing that was one of the details he'd left out. As she looked at it, she realized how bony her hand seemed, and thought she must have lost some weight recently, for the ring slid easily around her finger.

"So, Fili is still King Under the Mountain?" Thorin asked, gaining her attention again. He had gotten up a while ago to pace, looking pained at the news of the death of his youngest nephew, Kili.

"Yes. He has not married, and has named Dain's son, Thorin Stonehelm as his heir,"

Thorin made a sound in the back of his throat. It wasn't a completely happy sound.

Pushing some of her own curiosities aside, Danica asked, "Is there a way I could get in contact with this Gandalf? Maybe he could help us get our memories back,"

"My 111th birthday is in a couple of days, and he is likely to be there," Bilbo smiled. "If not, we can send a letter to him,"

She nodded, briefly shocked at how good the hobbit looked for his age, but assumed all hobbits must live that long. Thorin opened his mouth to say something else, but paused at the entrance of another hobbit.

"Uncle, we have more replies to the party invitations, but-oh, hello. I'm sorry, I didn't realize we had guests,"

This hobbit was young, with dark brown hair and startling blue eyes. He had a soft face, and warm smile.

"Frodo, my lad, let me introduce you to Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, and the Lady Danica MacKay,"

Frodo's eyes widened. "That's impossible…"

"Yes, it's not every day two people come back from the dead to knock on your door," Bilbo chuckled. "Unfortunately, neither can recollect how they got here,"

"Bilbo, is this your…?" Thorin's eyes softened as he looked at Frodo.

Bilbo shook his head. "I took him in after his parents died. His birthday is in a couple of days as well. He will be coming of age," the look of pride Bilbo had was one Danica could see any parent giving their child. No matter how they were related, it was apparent that they loved each other dearly.

Thorin smiled, and something within Danica stirred uncomfortably. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Frodo Baggins,"

"The pleasure is all mine," Frodo responded enthusiastically. "I've grown up on tales of the Company, and the King and Queen-"

"Frodo!" Bilbo's warning came one word too late.

Mouth popping open, Danica looked around the group, and seemed to be the only one truly surprised.

"Queen?" she choked out.

Sighing, Bilbo looked at his nephew. "Not only do they not know how they got here, but they have also lost their memories. Thorin only lost a few months, but Dani lost all of hers,"

Frodo's eyes grew wide and sad. "Oh. I am so sorry,"

"I think you need to give us the full story now, Master Baggins," Thorin said, voice low.

Both hobbits glanced at each other nervously.

"I'm not sure," Bilbo started. "It's all rather personal, and doesn't seem like my place…"

"Are we married?" Danica asked, having seen a band on Thorin's left hand.

Bilbo frowned with concern, but nodded. "Yes,"

It felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. With a faint, "excuse me," she left the table, and made her way outside. The front yard was too exposed to the road, and she didn't want anyone asking her if she was alright. She climbed up to the tree she had woken up under, and collapsed in its shade. She put her head in her hands, and closed her eyes, willing the memories to come. Who were these people around her? Who was her husband? Who was she? It hurt, like a large needle pressing slowly through her skull, but she pressed on. A voice echoed softly through the fuzz, warm and comforting. It was humming, or singing, and brought forth an image of Thorin. He was sitting next to a fire, holding his smoking pipe.

"Bree…"

"Danica,"

She looked up to see Thorin walking toward her. He looked more familiar now, like getting to know someone you haven't seen in a few years. She may not remember exactly how she knew him, but she definitely knew him, and cared about him. Any doubt about that had mysteriously disappeared, especially when she felt a desperate need to be in his arms.

"You sang to me," she said, stopping him in his tracks. "In Bree. We were in a room together, and you sang to me,"

He nodded. "Yes. For me, that was only a few months ago,"

"I remember caring for you. Do you…that is, was it a…you said we were friends," she wasn't sure how to go about asking the question that was laying heavy on her heart and mind.

Thorin had begun walking again, but she could see his discomfort at the forward nature of their conversation, and seemed to know what she was really asking. "Yes, though apparently I cared for you more than either one of us bargained for,"

Her eyes went to the ring on her finger. It wasn't quite the answer she had hoped for, but it was all she could really expect. That didn't keep her eyes from prickling slightly.

"I'm sorry I ran out, but it's all a bit…"

"Overwhelming. I can understand that," he sat beside her. "Do you remember anything else?"

"No. I wish I did, but searching for memories feels like pulling my skull apart. It's probably best if I wait for Gandalf before trying again," she tried to run her fingers through her hair, but got caught on of the braid. Frustrated, she moved to undo it, but Thorin caught her wrist before she could.

"Don't. Those are an important symbol in dwarrow society,"

He looked so serious that, at first, she didn't know what to say. She lowered her hands into her lap, and thought back to the conversation inside.

"How did you know we were married?" she asked. "You didn't seem at all surprised by Bilbo's answer,"

Thorin rested an arm on one of his knees, looking out at the other hills. "The braid in your hair is held together by one of my own beads," he gestured to his own braids. "Only I would have given it to you, and only if we were getting married,"

"So, the braid is the equivalent to the rings?" when he nodded, she felt a spear of guilt. "Then I'm sorry for trying to take it out,"

The corner of his mouth lifted. "You didn't know," he glanced down at her hands, and sighed. "I should tell you; you were married to someone else before me. He died a few months before we met,"

Her breath caught, but she managed to let it out slowly and controlled. "I'm not sure I want to remember that. Lord, there are just so many questions. As my husband," the statement made her blush, "you would normally be the person to go to, to answer those questions, but you don't remember much about me either,"

"No, but I learned quite a bit about you in the months I do remember," he turned toward her. "What would you like to know?"

She hesitated, the question getting stuck on her tongue. "Am I a good person?"

**P.S. **Sorry for the abrupt ending! I wanted to try and keep some of these chapters shorter, and this was the best place to stop. Thanks for reading! Comments and reviews welcome. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.** Since this was part 2 of what was a really long chapter, this was super easy to edit and get out to you guys. 😊  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my original characters and plot points.

"Am I a good person?"

The question took him by surprise. Of everything else she had heard, and all they had discussed, this seemed to be her primary concern. He supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised.

"Did you not believe Bilbo's words?"

"Even if that was me, those were actions he spoke of. Did I do all of that for the right reasons, or just my own glory?"

It would be incredibly rude to laugh, but he couldn't completely stop the chuckle.

"Forgive me," he said at her sharp look. "You are likely the last person on the face of the earth who would be seeking glory. Everything you do, you do for others,"

He paused, looking at her face, her silver eyes wide and hopeful. By Durin, he really had been in denial, hadn't he? How long had it taken him to get over his pride before, and accept his feelings? When he spoke again, it was with all the sincerity he could muster.

"You are the kindest, and one of the bravest people I have ever met,"

Her face softened and warmed into a relieved smile. "Thank you,"

"Glad to be of service," he smiled back, then froze when she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed, relaxing into him, and he couldn't help but do the same, resting his head on hers. In his memories, they had just begun to get comfortable with touch, but this felt right; natural.

"I'm sorry if this is too much," she murmured. "But it helps,"

"It isn't too much," he answered honestly, for he was realizing that it helped him, too. Unfortunately, he knew the hobbits would be worrying themselves into a frenzy. "We should get back to our host," he said.

Knowing she would be just as reluctant as him, he stood and offered a hand. As he expected, both Bilbo and Frodo were nearly falling over themselves apologizing, and were only placated by Danica's smile. Even the small memory she had regained made her a little more like herself. They were able to sit down again, and this time, Bilbo filled in some of the blanks. Thorin marveled at how romantic the whole thing sounded. To think they had both sacrificed and risked so much for each other. To think she had been challenged to Mamradthi, and he had taken over. Then again, if he thought back to the dream of him dying, he knew both of them would have done anything for the other. He looked at Danica, whose expression was calm, but her cheeks looked like they would forever be stained red. How long would it be before she fully remembered him? Or he remembered her? The couple Bilbo spoke of seemed like completely different people next to the near strangers sitting beside each other now. For some reason, the thought of them never returning to the way they were made his heart ache.

"That is all I know," Bilbo sighed. "Anything else is between the two of you, or is not…ahem…appropriate for polite society," despite his discreet words, there was a wicked gleam in his eyes that had Thorin raising a brow. Danica's face deepened to scarlet.

"So will you two stay for the party?" Frodo asked, eyes alight.

"If that is alright with your uncle," Thorin smiled at the young hobbit's enthusiasm, then looked with him to Bilbo.

"Of course! You must! They are calling it the party of the century," despite a half-assed attempt at humility, Bilbo was obviously pleased with himself. Thorin supposed he must have earned it for living as long as he had.

"What will we wear?" Danica asked, looking down at her winter gown. She and Thorin had already had to shed their coats, but it was still stifling.

"Not to worry," Bilbo stood suddenly. "We have a genius seamstress in town who can alter something for you. We've actually had more than a few dwarves and humans pass through recently, so she may have some larger clothes set aside," he took Danica's hand, and led them out the round, green door, back into the summer air.

The sun was beginning to dip below the trees, casting a warm light across the valley. As Bilbo kept up a bubbly conversation with Danica, Thorin enjoyed the peace of the place. Yes, there was much he wanted to do, and learn, but for now, the soft domesticity of the Shire was healing. So much of what they had heard from Bilbo was better than he could have expected for their journey, including his own survival, but the losses still cut him deep. He looked around at the hobbits milling about in their yards, playing with children or tending to their gardens. Many of them hailed Bilbo and Frodo with greetings, even while looking at Thorin and Danica with curiosity and suspicion.

By the time they had reached the seamstress' establishment, much of Hobbiton was alerted to their presence. Thorin had to duck slightly to get in the door, and then felt a stab of pity when the poor seamstress nearly fainted at the sight of them.

"I am already swamped with orders for your party, Bilbo Baggins," the woman said irately, prodding Bilbo in the chest with her finger. Thorin and Frodo shared an amused glance.

"Yes, well, surely you can whip up something," Bilbo stammered. "You are the finest seamstress in the Shire,"

"Ha! Even the finest in Rivendell would turn you away," yet, she sighed. "I'll take the girl first," but the more she looked at the rugged new customers, the more dubious she became.

Danica sent a panicked look over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner. Thorin stared after her for a moment, then turned to Bilbo.

"What of the rest of the Company? Did they all stay in Erebor?"

"For a long time, yes. Balin took a large group of dwarves with him to reclaim Moria. Last I heard, they were doing well. Ori and Oin went with him,"

Thorin nodded. "I'm glad. Those halls belong to the people of Durin,"

"Which is exactly what Balin said in his letter," Frodo chuckled. "I'd love to go there sometime,"

The spark of adventure was strong in the young hobbit. It appeared Frodo Baggins had ended up more of a dreamer than his uncle. By the look on his face, Bilbo was both proud, and regretful. It was the regret that had Thorin looking at him closer. That look was one of someone who knew change was coming. Bilbo caught him looking, and shook his head. A conversation for another time.

After a few minutes, the seamstress called Thorin in, then did some quick measurements, tutting and muttering the whole time.

"You two are lucky I had some clothing left from some big folk who came through a couple of months ago. That, and the girl is small-waisted for her height," she released him, and went to write some things down. "The alterations won't take long, but you'll need to come by tomorrow to pick everything up,"

"Thank you for helping us so last minute," Thorin responded as graciously as he could.

The stout hobbit softened a bit. "Truth be told, no one can say no to Bilbo, no matter how much of an old cracker he is,"

Amused once again, Thorin joined the others, and they made their way to the market to get food for dinner, (not like there wasn't already enough in the pantry), then went back to Bag End. Danica continued to smile throughout the night, but a weariness was obviously weighing on her. Thorin made sure to catch Bilbo's eyes, and subtly nod toward her. Bilbo took one look at her glazed expression, and smiled in understanding.

"I think this old hobbit will need to call it a night," he said, standing and stretching. "I am afraid only one of the guest rooms is habitable, but we have plenty of blankets and pillows,"

He led them down the hall to the empty guest room, which consisted of a small bed, chair, and chest of drawers. The two of them could have fit on the bed, but not without every inch of their bodies touching. Frodo came in carrying a large pile of blankets and pillows.

"My room is just next door, if you need anything," he smiled and set the pile at the foot of the bed.

"Use whatever you may need in the bathroom. There is some salve in there for bruises, if you would like," Bilbo said, beginning to back out. "Make yourselves at home,"

"Thank you," Thorin responded earnestly. "For everything,"

The warm smile Bilbo gave youthened him, making him look almost exactly as he had sixty years before. "Of course,"

Once their hosts had gone, Thorin could see Danica chewing over their situation.

"I can go out to the sitting room," he assured her. "I have slept quite comfortably there before,"

She looked conflicted, biting the inside of her lip. "Would it…I mean, I don't-that is-" she sighed, trying to find the right words. "I don't really want to be alone,"

Even once the words were out, she kept her eyes away from him. Though she didn't know herself, he knew her well enough to know that she was concerned about propriety, and didn't want to offend him. So, he softened his features and nodded.

"There is plenty of room on the floor,"

Her body relaxed in relief, and she finally lifted her eyes. "Thank you. I just don't know what I will wake up to, and…if I can't remember today, I don't want to wake up alone,"

"I may not be a healer, but I do not think that is how memory loss works,"

"Maybe not, but nothing about our current situation is normal,"

He had to give her that one. Then again, nothing about the two of them in general was normal. It was something he had constantly marveled at. As they prepared for bed, he hoped her strange dreams would return, and help them retrieve their memories. It was one thing to hear about what had happened, but another to know it for yourself. He wanted to explain it to her, but she was too overwhelmed as it was. By the time he came back into the bedroom, she was fast asleep in the bed. Her body was completely slack, having fallen into deep sleep almost immediately. Thorin stood over her, looking down at her face for a moment.

This was the woman he nearly risked the quest for. The woman who, despite centuries of culture and tradition, he had married. No matter what Bilbo had told them, Thorin knew there was so much missing that only the two of them could figure out together. For now, memories or no, he had made vows to this woman, and he would keep them. Divorce and separation were practices only humans held. Sighing, he bent down and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I will watch over you," he murmured, then settled down next to the bed for sleep.

**P.S.** Ta dah!


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.** Chapter 3 already? What? On a roll. 😊 Not really. Lol. Since most of this was already written, I can just go through and decide what stays and what goes. In these early chapters, most of what I wrote stays, even if it's from an earlier draft, so I'm able to get a bunch done quickly. Thanks for reading, and let me know how you like it!  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

_She knew these woods; she had grown up in these woods. There were trails here that she had found while wandering with her sister when she was 10 years old. It wasn't far from their house, and they had walked through here a lot, pretending to be witches, or fairies, or elves. Sometimes they would play out "The Lord of the Rings." It was a place one could believe in magic, and Danica could believe now more than ever. She smiled, feeling a weightless happiness as she looked around. Here, she knew who she was. Here, she was a stubborn, independent California girl, who spent endless hours daydreaming and romanticizing. Even the older, somehow magic-wielding Danica could fit in with the carefree child. Curious, she closed her eyes, wishing, and found herself in the front yard of her old house, surrounded by trees. Letting out a startled, delighted laugh, she wished for her parent's new house in Maine, and she was there, the sound of the surf softly brushing the air. _

_ Running in the way you only can in dreams, she sprinted through their yard, down the street, and to the beach. In the summer, you could come out and sunbathe before daring the cold Atlantic water, while in winter you would walk through deep snow to see the salted ice on the shore. From coast to coast, she could now remember her homes, though she wasn't ready to visit the one that had been hers. The one she had lived in while married. She could remember being married now, but didn't want to open those wounds. There was too much peace and happiness here to ruin. _

_ "Is this where you grew up?" _

_ Thorin's voice drifted across the sand almost immediately after she had thought about him. Turning, she smiled. Seeing him brought her a warmth she couldn't yet understand, but knew she would be able to unravel soon enough. _

_ "No. I was born here, and my parents moved here after I turned 18," she looked at the shore, the waves moving in to high tide. "This is actually on the complete opposite side of the country from where I grew up," _

_ "You are starting to remember," it wasn't a question, and he seemed genuinely pleased by the fact. _

_ "Yes. It seems, in these dreams anyway, that the memories flow more easily. I was able to see the house I grew up in, as well as this place," _

_ Here, he seemed a little hesitant. "You were able to choose where to go?"_

_ "Does that bother you?" it seemed strange, but she could see him struggling with it. _

_ "We have had shared dreams before," he finally said. "Then, it seemed you were just as much a victim of their whims as I. If you are able to control it more now, I wonder how much you controlled it then, even if you didn't know you were," _

_ She felt a stab of hurt and anger at his words, but didn't know what to say. As of that moment, she didn't remember those dreams, and so she couldn't fully defend herself. Also, she wondered if her thinking of him had brought him into the dream, which only made her feel guilty. She didn't want to drag him along whatever path her dreams were going to take, especially if she had already done so in the past. _

_ "I'm sorry," she said. _

_ "What for?" _

_ "If I have caused you any problems with my dreams," _

_ He looked at her for a moment, then sighed. "You certainly turned my life upside-down, but you also saved it. Your dreams also caused you a lot of harm. Do not worry about me," _

_ But she did, and she worried about his opinion of her. Sure, they may be married, but he still seemed unsure about her. It made her wary, but more than that, it stung. Frustrated, she turned back to the surf, but it quickly disappeared. Before she could fully panic, the scene materialized into a beautiful courtyard, lit by moonlight. The recognition was instant; this was where she had stayed when she was in Rivendell. It hurt her head a little, but she thought perhaps this was when Thorin was there as well. By the look on his face, he thought so too. _

_ "Do you remember this?" he asked. _

_ "Yes. I didn't until I saw it, though. My room is through that door," she walked toward it, but didn't open it. _

_ "The last thing I remember is having dinner after we arrived here," his gaze was far away, even as he looked at her, as if he were seeing something else. "You were wearing a white gown, and your hair was up," _

_ She could see it, and almost feel the soft material. "Lady Galadriel gave it to me. Lord Elrond had said I should wear it," _

_ They were speaking to each other, yet not. Each was drawn into their own memories like a spell. _

_ "I was nervous seeing you again," she admitted, feeling those same butterflies now. _

_ One corner of his mouth lifted. "Truth be told, so was I. You looked so beautiful, I almost couldn't breathe," _

_ A blush rose to her cheeks, and she smiled. Some of the haze lifted from her eyes, and she looked at him. "Really?" _

_ When he looked at her again, his eyes were clear as well. He hesitated, but then nodded. "Yes," _

_ It was almost silly how pleased that made her, but anything else they may have said was interrupted by two doors opening suddenly. Both she and Thorin were standing in their doorways, looking scared and winded. As the scene played out, Danica remembered the dream that caused the fear, and reckless embrace. They had died in the battle. It was the first moment that she truly realized she couldn't live without him. After their past selves were back in her room, she looked to the Thorin next to her. She could see that he remembered the dream as well, possibly more. She wanted to tell him what had suddenly taken over her heart, but a small bit of fear still held her back._

_ The dream changed again, and they were now in a house. It was the house she hadn't wanted to visit, and she desperately tried to get them somewhere, anywhere else. This time, it wouldn't work. Memories were coming, memories she didn't want to have. _

_ "Where are we?" _

_ "My house. The house I lived in with my husband," her voice was quiet, though her heart was screaming at her to run. As it pounded, she walked through the living room, and stopped in front of the front door. A figure was bent in front of it, shoulders quaking with silent sobs._

_ "Danica?" Thorin's voice was also soft, as were his footsteps as he came to stand behind her. "Is everything alright?"_

_ "The soldiers just left. They told me my husband had died, stayed with me until they thought I was alright, and left once they knew I had called my parents to come see me," the figure began taking deep breaths, and Danica knew what was coming. "I only acted alright so they would leave," she backed away slightly, giving the figure room. _

_ Without much warning, the figure let out a blood-curdling scream. It was the scream of a broken heart, and complete hopelessness. Danica cringed, and backed away some more. She didn't want this. Wasn't living through it once bad enough? She began shaking her head, trying to wake up. The sounds of glass and ceramic breaking still reached her ears as her past self threw whatever she could get her hands on. Thorin took her by the shoulders and turned her until her face was pressed against his shoulder. She grabbed on to him, holding on as tightly as she could. _

_ "Make it go away. Make it go away," she repeated, tears soaking into his shirt. She kept repeating it until the dream finally faded away. _

* * *

They woke up at the same time, and he could hear her trying to control the sobs. All drowsiness gone, he got up, and sat beside her, pulling her up into his arms.

"It's alright," he murmured. "It was just a dream,"

Except he knew it wasn't. That had really happened to her. All that pain had happened, and she had dealt with it alone. It made his chest ache to think of it.

"I'll be ok," but her voice was still weak and shaky.

Feeling helpless, he just cradled her closer, and breathed with her until the quaking began to subside. There was so much the dream had shown him, and helped him remember on his own. With all the revelations she'd had, he had really only had one; he would die for her. He could recall, now, how he'd been forced to face his feelings for her in Rivendell, and how those feelings had grown through their journey. It had been Beorn's house where he'd first kissed her, but then there'd been their passionate encounter in Mirkwood. Everything after that was still a bit of a blur, but Bilbo's tale now made complete sense to him.

"Is it all going to be like that?" Danica asked, finally lifting her head. "My memories coming back by reliving them?"

The thought obviously scared her, and while he wanted to comfort and reassure her, he could make no guarantees. Sighing, he brushed away the remaining tears with his thumbs. Just yesterday, he wouldn't have thought of doing such a thing, but now it was as natural to him as breathing.

"I hope not," then, to distract her, "What do you remember now?"

She sat back, pushing the stray hairs out of her face. "Most of my life on earth, and what we saw together. There are bits and pieces from after we met, but so much of it is still blank. Especially after Rivendell,"

"What of the tales you knew of this world?"

"I remember knowing them, I just can't remember what they are,"

Though he nodded, Thorin knew how serious that was. Her knowledge had been part of what made her so valuable to others, and could have explained their current predicament. It was something he would have to mention to Gandalf when they saw him. In the meantime, the light was beginning to get brighter as the sun rose past dawn.

"I suppose we should get up, shouldn't we?" Danica asked before he could suggest it himself.

"Are you alright?" he found himself reluctant to let her go.

She took a breath, then smiled. "I will be. Thank you. For being here, I mean,"

"Always,"

Bilbo and Frodo were both up and cooking breakfast when they came out. They smiled, andoffered what looked to be enough food to feed Danica for a week. After they finished eating, the hobbits were going to finish some last-minute party details, and would not hear of having their guests lifting a finger for work. So Thorin and Danica decided to take a walk before they would have to go to the seamstress. As before, the hobbits were all curious about the new visitors, but didn't do much besides whisper to each other. Danica looked uncomfortable with all the attention, but Thorin was used to such looks and whispers.

As they passed a field, they could see a large group of hobbits setting up tents and benches for Bilbo's party. A few of them were also trying to get a large sign up, but were struggling with it. After sharing a glance with Danica, Thorin shook his head, and made his way down the hill. The hobbits were startled at first, but gratefully accepted his help. Once the sign was up, they cheered, and clapped each other on the back, having to reach a bit higher to clap Thorin. One of the women grabbed a nearby bunch of flowers, and handed them to him.

"For your lady," she smiled, and nodded to Danica, who was standing to the side.

"Thank you," Thorin took the bundle and returned her smile.

Danica's face lit up when he presented them to her, and kept her in a cheerful mood the whole way to the seamstress. Thorin never really had understood how such small gestures could mean so much to a woman, but was glad to see the last bits of darkness from their dream fade away.

**P.S.** Didn't actually change too much from what I had. I did want to move the memories along faster so we can get to the rest of the story. 😊


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.** This chapter is going to be a bit shorter, because I got to the end of it, and thought it was a perfect place to stop. Lol. Hope you all like it!  
**Likarian:** Thank you! I'm glad someone came back after I took the original version down.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

They picked up their clothes from the seamstress, who seemed very harried with how crowded her shop was getting. Not wanting to pull her wrath their way, Thorin escorted Danica out as a line began to grow out the door. He wondered how the hobbit woman would get through the next day without killing someone. Despite the workload she seemed to have, the parcels she had given him and Danica felt like they held more than one outfit. Perhaps they really had gotten lucky, and she had been able to quickly hem some larger clothes. Since both of them desperately wanted to get out of their stifling, winter clothes, they hurried back to Bag End.

The instant they got to the door, they knew their hosts had company. Loud laughter spilled from the open windows, creating a cheerful, if not chaotic atmosphere.

"Do we have to go in?"

Danica's voice held a tremor, and when he looked over at her, he could see the nervous pull of her brow.

"No," he replied carefully, "But I am sure everything will be fine if we do. If you need to get out, you can just let me know, and we will go back out,"

Gathering his parcels under his arm as best he could, he held his hand out to her. Looking a little less fearful, she took his hand, and walked inside with him. The voices in the kitchen stopped when they heard the door.

"It's just us," Thorin called, and felt Danica jump at the sound of multiple pairs of feet softly padding down the hall. He squeezed her hand, and turned his attention to the three new hobbits standing with Frodo and Bilbo.

"Forgive the chaos," Bilbo said with a disdainful glance at his young guests. "This is Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck, and Peregrin Took. They were going to take Frodo to the Green Dragon before the party tomorrow. We told them we had other guests staying with us,"

Frodo came forward, taking the parcels from both of them to free their hands. "They also heard the rumors about a dwarf and a woman staying with us, and wanted to see for themselves," his tone and expression were wry.

One of them, seemingly the boldest of all of them, walked forward and stretched his hand out.

"I'm Merry. Nice to meet you," he vigorously shook their hands, followed by the one named Pippin. Same greeted them as well, but much more quietly and shyly than the first two.

"This is Thorin, and his wife, Dani," Bilbo said. The young hobbits' eyes widened.

"Thorin Oakenshield, and Danica MacKay? From your stories?" Sam asked softly. Pippin looked about ready to jump out of his skin.

Bilbo looked to Thorin for permission, which he gave with a small nod of his head. There was no point trying to hide it from these three. When Bilbo confirmed their identities, the others instantly began asking for stories. Though Danica seemed to like their new friends, she was clearly overwhelmed.

"Why don't we let these two changes, and get comfortable before you bombard them?" Bilbo suggested.

Thorin sent Bilbo a grateful look before leading Danica back to the room they had stayed in. Frodo set their parcels on the bed, and then left, closing the door behind him. Danica sat heavily on the edge of the bed, and rubbed her face. Kneeling in front of her, Thorin took her hands.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Just very tired," she admitted, and the dark circles on her eyes attested to that.

"You can stay here and rest, if you would like. I am sure they will understand,"

She frowned, her eyelids drooping. "Are you sure?"

Her words were slightly slurred, which had him smiling, and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Yes. I will go change in the bathroom. Rest now,"

"Thank you,"

He moved her packages to the floor so she could lay back, then took his own so he could change. Once that was done, he made his way to the kitchen to join the others, making sure to check on Danica first. She had only stripped to her slip, and was already fast asleep. While he sat with the hobbits, indulging them with tales of his travels and adventures, half of his attention remained in the bedroom. Even while he spoke, he listened for any signs of trouble.

* * *

_It was snowing outside the walls of Erebor. Danica stood by one of the very few windows, watching the snowflakes fall. She wasn't sure where in time she was, but could hear voices in the halls. As she looked around, the great, dwarven kingdom became more and more familiar. This was home. Just like the beach and forest of her own world. No memories returned, but she could feel the peace of being somewhere safe. _

_ Since she did not know exactly when she was, she began exploring, thankful when none of the resident dwarves seemed to be able to see her. She tried to catch what conversations she could, hoping to get clues. Most of the talk was normal, every day small talk and gossip. Her clue finally came when she passed a couple of guards._

_ "The king is still expecting a letter from the Lord of Ered Luin," one of them said._

_ The other sighed. "I admire his perseverance, but I fear he is wasting his time. Lord Fili has his mind made up. The most His Majesty can do is provide help," _

_ "Let's all just pray that this doesn't go the way it did with Lord Balin,"_

_ Their somber mention of Balin had dread creeping through Danica. From what Bilbo had said, Balin had gone to Moria. Had something bad happened? And what was Fili doing in Ered Luin? She now knew this to be the future, but still had so many questions._

_ "Did His Majesty ask for Lord Fili's presence?" the second guard asked. _

_ "I believe so, though I cannot be sure," _

_ "Why would he ask for him to return here, so soon after his last visit?" _

_ The first guard scoffed. "Isn't it obvious? With the queen's pregnancy being so delicate, the king is terrified. He wants all the support he can get," _

_ "Is it really so bad?"_

_ "She nearly died giving birth to the twins, and was not supposed to be able to get pregnant again," the guard shook his head sadly. "If she dies, I fear the king would never recover," _

_ Danica quickly walked away, unable to hear any more. Though the guards hadn't said the names of the king and queen, she had a sick feeling she already knew. Childbirth had always scared her, despite her mother having two perfect deliveries. That fear had only escalated after losing her first child. Yes, she had wanted kids, but knew she needed modern medicine. What would she do here, without that?_

* * *

When she woke up, her face was damp with tears, and the panic was still tight in her chest. She took a few, deep breaths, and then listened for anyone who may still be in the house. At first, she thought everyone might have left, but when she opened the door, she heard Thorin and Bilbo outside. Instantly feeling better at the sound of Thorin's voice, she went to join them. The sun was dipping below the horizon, so Bilbo had lit many of the candles inside the house. Her hand was on the front door when she heard her name.

"What do you think you and Danica will do?" Bilbo asked. She could now smell smoke, and knew they were using pipes.

"I cannot say for certain," Thorin replied. "That will likely be determined by what Gandalf says tomorrow,"

Danica almost walked out then, but when Bilbo spoke again, she wanted to hear Thorin's response.

"I saw the change in the two of you today. How much do you remember?"

"We shared a dream that showed some of her life, as well as the first night we all stayed in Rivendell. Her memories of us, and our world are still hazy, but she can now remember everything before she came here,"

"And you?" there was something sly in Bilbo's tone, and she could almost see the disparaging look she was sure Thorin gave him.

"Do you play matchmaker for everyone, or is it just me you enjoy torturing?" when Bilbo chuckled, Thorin sighed. "Everything until Mirkwood,"

"And?"

When silence stretched on for a few moments, Danica thought he wouldn't answer. Once he did, his tone was softer.

"I remember the moment I could no longer deny my feelings for her, and when I knew I would give my life for hers,"

Just like in their dream, butterflies filled Danica's stomach. Feeling like she could fly, she walked to the kitchen to get some food, her other dream forgotten. After grabbing a scone, she put on one of the dresses they had picked up. The white one with yellow flowers and corset she wanted to save for the party. Her other dress was blue and green pattern with a light, green jacket. Both dresses barely reached her shins, but it would help keep her cool. By the time she had dressed and braided her hair, the sun had gone down, and Bilbo and Thorin were back inside.

"How are you feeling?" Bilbo asked with a smile.

"Better, thank you," she smiled back, and fell into step with them as they went back into the kitchen.

"Good! I managed to get some fine chicken and potatoes for dinner,"

While Bilbo prattled on about dinner, and what the young hobbits were up to, Danica looked over at Thorin. He was in a clean, light blue tunic, and a dark blue vest. Sensing her gaze, he turned his head, blue eyes catching hers, and a flash of heat speared through her. They stayed that way, looking at each other while something electric grew between them. Thorin took a step toward her, but froze when Bilbo turned to them.

"Would you like tea or wine with dinner?" he didn't even stutter, but the look in his eyes had Danica flushing.

"Tea," she and Thorin said at the same time.

**P.S.** Thank you all for reading! Reviews and comments would be lovely! ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N**. Welcome to another chapter! Thank you all for reading. ^_^  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

Going to bed that night had been difficult. Thorin had seen the look in Danica's eyes, and felt the desire growing between them. By the look in Bilbo's eyes, he had been aware, but remained blessedly discreet. There had been some distraction during dinner, and while they washed and prepared for bed, but the need to touch her returned with a vengeance when the time came for sleep. He stayed up with Bilbo for a bit to smoke in the mild, summer air, so Danica was already asleep by the time he went in. She was wearing only a shift, and had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed; a clear invitation for him to join her.

Though it pained him, he had to decline. He was far too affected by her to sleep so close. As gently as possible, he inched her toward the center of the bed. Once she settled, eyes remaining closed, he took his place on the floor, and did his best to sleep. Dawn rose in what seemed like the blink of an eye due to his and Danica's combined restlessness. With the dark circles of fatigue, and healing bruises on their faces, he was sure they looked less than presentable. Thankfully, the salve Bilbo had helped a bit, and breakfast brought some color back into Danica's cheeks.

"When do you think Gandalf will get here?" she asked, after second breakfast had gone by. Frodo had already gone off, hoping to meet the wizard on the road.

"Whenever he decides to get here," Bilbo responded with a chuckle. "There is no accounting for a wizard's sense of time,"

Thorin had found some peace reading through a few of the hobbit's books, but Danica couldn't settle. Even when Bilbo holed himself up in his study, she paced through the halls, tidying up some of the copious piles of books and papers. Every time there was a knock on the door, she jumped, and hastened to one of the windows to see who it was. Bilbo was not as excited about the would-be visitors. He yelled at a few of them, and grumbled the rest of the time. As Danica did another pass through the living room, where Thorin had been reading, he reached an arm out, snagging her around the waist. Losing her balance, she ended up on his lap, which had not been his plan, but at least kept her from pacing.

"Take a breath," he suggested when she tried to stand back up, apologizing.

She looked down at him, cheeks flushing slightly, but nodded, and did as he said. "I'm sorry. I just can't seem to calm down,"

"Really? You hid it so well," the dry sarcasm in his tone had her frowning, until he smiled. "Try not to worry. Whatever happens next, you will be not alone,"

Another knock had her jumping slightly, but she stayed where she was, craning her neck to see out the window. Thorin suspected this may be Gandalf, but waited a moment.

"No thank you!" Bilbo's irate voice echoed. "We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!"

"And what about very old friends?" the deep voice had both Thorin and Danica rising to their feet, joining Bilbo as he hurried to open the door.

Thorin and Danica remained inside while Bilbo and Gandalf greeted each other just outside the door. Still laughing, Bilbo brought the wizard through the foyer, offering refreshment like the good host he was. Once Gandalf insisted on tea, he turned, and caught sight of them. For a moment, his eyes widened, and then a large, relieved smile spread across his face.

"Well, I'll be," laughing as he had with Bilbo, he shook Thorin's hand, and pulled Danica in for a hug. "You have no idea just how pleased I am to see you,"

"It is good to see you as well," Thorin responded honestly. Seeing Gandalf lifted a huge weight off of his chest. "There is much we need to discuss,"

Gandalf nodded. "I imagine there is. Why don't we follow Bilbo to the kitchen?"

Tea and food were prepared, then laid out at the dining room table, since the kitchen would be cramped for all of them. Gandalf listened intently as Bilbo and Thorin explained what had happened over the past couple of days.

"So, this is where you two ended up," he mused, then looked at Danica. "You must not remember much about me,"

"I am afraid not," Danica admitted apologetically. "I have regained some memories, but they are very limited,"

Gandalf's brows rose. "Already?" he looked at Thorin, a clear question in his eyes.

"Her dreams," Thorin confirmed. "I can now also recall everything until Mirkwood, but Bilbo told us everything that happened,"

"Well, that is something at least,"

"What did you mean?" Danica asked suddenly. "When you said 'this is where you ended up?'"

"Ah, yes. That is a bit of a story,"

He whipped out his pipe, and settled into his seat. He told them how the enemy had been looking for Danica, wanting to use her knowledge and power of moving through dreams. When Thorin mentioned how difficult a time she was having remembering anything of the future, Gandalf chuckled, appreciating the irony. However, it wouldn't make her any safer. He told them how he, Elrond, and Galadriel had planned to send her back home, but someone else had tried to take her first. They still weren't sure who had been behind it, but they had barely been able to send her somewhere else. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to control, or even know when or where she'd gone.

"We also didn't have the strength to send both of you," Gandalf said, with a particular look at Thorin.

"Then how am I here?"

At this, the wizard smiled. "It appears your wife could not, and would not live without you,"

Thorin looked at Danica with wonder, as her eyes widened.

"I brought him here?" she couldn't believe it, but Thorin could.

"You have more power in you than any of us expected," Gandalf said, still smiling. "I think it could be what led to your amnesia, though. Before then, you had only walked through dreams, and seen the future. To travel through time, and carry someone with you was too much at once. To be honest, I'm amazed you survived,"

These words had Thorin's heart dropping. He thought of the blood on her face when they'd first woken up.

"Could it be dangerous for her to use those powers again?"

Gandalf pondered that for a moment, his wiry brows drawn close. "I believe it was your journey to the future that took your memories, and any travel through time, or between worlds could kill you if you attempted it on your own. However, your dreams haven't seemed to cause any adverse effects, have they?"

Danica shook her head, but there was something hiding in her eyes. When both Thorin and Gandalf raised a brow at her, she caved.

"I tried to force some memories yesterday, and it brought on a migraine. But, maybe, with your help, it would be easier,"

"It may…" Gandalf puffed a bit on his pipe. "May as well try,"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Bilbo asked, sharing Thorin's concern.

"I need to try," Danica said with determination, more to convince Thorin than Bilbo.

Though it made him uneasy, Thorin nodded. Taking that as all the permission they needed, Danica faced Gandalf while he put his pipe down.

"Give me your hands," Gandalf held out his own, then grasped hers when she held them out.

They both closed their eyes and were silent for a while. Thorin and Bilbo glanced between them and each other nervously. Despite the worry, it seemed to be going just fine, until Danica's brows suddenly furrowed with invisible effort. She began to quiver ever so slightly, starting with her hands. Thorin's first instinct was to rip her away, but Bilbo put up a warning hand.

"It may be more dangerous to pull her out of whatever they are doing,"

Gritting his teeth, Thorin crossed his arms, but moved closer to Danica. Sweat broke out across her brow, and the frown deepened. Gandalf's face had also pulled into a frown, but he didn't seem to be in any distress. It wasn't until a small bit of blood trickled from Danica's nose that Thorin finally interceded. He put a hand on each of their arms, and shook slightly.

"Gandalf, you need to stop. This is hurting Danica," he spoke softly, but firmly, still thinking about Bilbo's warning.

Neither of them moved, and the blood was beginning to flow more freely. Feeling like he had no other choice, Thorin shook them harder.

"Gandalf! Enough!"

The wizard's eyes snapped open, and he released Danica, who dragged in a wheezing gasp before her eyes opened as well. Thorin caught her when she teetered dangerously to the side, nearly falling out of her seat. Once he had her sitting up again, he took the handkerchief Bilbo offered, and tried to staunch the flow of blood.

"Are you alright?" he asked, brushing one hand over her brow, finding it cold and clammy.

She gave the barest of nods, but could barely keep her eyes open, and her skin was a frightening shade of white. Bilbo bustled around them, providing more tea, and a cup of what smelled like wine.

"Let me help her," Gandalf offered, leaning forward.

"No," Thorin growled. "It was your 'help' that put her in this condition in the first place,"

The air around them grew tense as Gandalf glared at him. "And I can get her out of it. If you don't let me help her, she will be bleeding and in pain for the rest of the day,"

Very much wanting to bury his fist in the old man's face, Thorin glared back.

"Remember how he healed you after your fight with Azog on the cliff?" Bilbo reminded, to which Thorin sighed through his nose.

"Alright," he moved aside so Gandalf could put his hands on Danica's head.

She closed her eyes and leaned into Gandalf, relaxing as he spoke some words none of them understood. When he pulled away, she lifted her head, her eyes clearer as she opened them. As she took her hand away from her nose, the blood seemed to have stopped as well.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Gandalf smiled and nodded, but Thorin was still practically vibrating with anger.

"Never again," he said. "You are never to do that again,"

"But it worked," Danica protested. "I don't have everything yet, but I can remember meeting you, and a couple of the dreams you told me about. I still don't really know any of the tales I used to know, but-"

"It doesn't matter. It is not worth it to put your life in danger,"

"But if I can remember what's supposed to happen-"

"No!" his voice had come out sharper than he'd intended, and he turned away before his anger could get the best of him. He looked out the small kitchen window while Gandalf spoke.

"I think Thorin is right," he said. "Your mind seems to be blocking certain information, and perhaps it's for the best. With time, I am sure the memories will return on their own,"

There was silence for a moment, then scraping sounds as Danica pushed away from the table and walked out. Thorin pinched the bridge of his nose as pressure built between his eyes.

"She isn't going to make this easy, is she?"

Bilbo chuckled. "She never does,"

**P.S.** 😊 Comments and reviews welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N.** Woohoo! Feels pretty awesome to get this many chapters out so quickly, but it's only because I didn't need to change these all that much. Lol. I hope you are all enjoying this story so far!  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

Danica had only spent a few minutes outside, seething, before getting over her pity party and heading inside. It infuriated her that she could have the ability to recover the rest of her memories, but everyone was telling her to just stop and be patient. The remaining ache behind her eyes encouraged her to take a break, but she had every intention of trying again. For now, she pushed it all aside, and put her focus on the light conversations with Bilbo and Gandalf. She and Thorin remained silent with each other, and she felt a sense of relief when he joined the other two for a smoke as the sun began to set.

Alone in the house, she picked at some food, then rinsed her hair, setting it so it would dry in curls. She had laid out the white and yellow dress for the party, as well as some of the flowers Thorin had given her. The dress was pretty, and comfortable without the corset, but she knew leaving it off would be inappropriate. As she tried to put it on, she desperately wished for one that could fasten in the front. Trying to tie your own corset was a pain in the ass.

Someone knocked on the door as she was struggling with the final few stays.

"Come in," she panted.

"Would you like some help?" Gandalf chuckled, peeking in.

After a couple more futile tries, she slumped. "Please,"

Still chuckling, Gandalf walked in and finished tying the corset with surprising deftness.

"Thank you," she turned to him, and smiled. "How do you know how to do that?"

"I have lived on this earth a long time," was all he said, and all he needed to say. "On another topic, try not to be too hard on Thorin. He is only thinking of your safety,"

She sighed. "I know. I just feel powerless,"

One side of Gandalf's mouth curled upward. "You, my dear, are anything but powerless,"

It wasn't a complete comfort, but she knew he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. She gave him a smile as he helped to braid some of the flowers in her hair. Spirit lifted a little, she went with Gandalf down to the party, where nearly everyone was already there, starting in on the ale. Despite how large the crowd was, she saw Bilbo by a large tent, and Thorin to the side, holding a tankard. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him cleaned up and smiling. Even with a broken nose, he was the most handsome male there. The red shirt he wore was rolled up at the sleeves, and tucked under a brown vest and pants. She tried to make her way to him, but found her way blocked by curious hobbits whose courage had been fueled by alcohol.

One thing Danica had to admit; hobbits sure knew how to throw a party. The food and drinks were fabulous, and there was plenty to go around. Music was playing for those who wanted to dance to the lively tunes. Bilbo was kept busy by well-wishers, and Frodo was flitting between people; mostly Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Danica found herself spending quite a bit of time with them as well. Merry and Pippin accepted her memory loss without question, unlike most of the others, and had her laughing so hard her sides ached. They also plied her with so much wine that she was warm and fuzzy. She smiled and laughed easier, and found herself dancing with nearly every male hobbit there.

She had just finished one dance with Sam's father, and was stumbling slightly when Thorin caught her around the waist. Turning to face him, she smiled.

"Hello," she swayed, and put a hand against his chest to steady herself.

His lips lifted as well as he chuckled. "Hello. I see the hobbits have been generous with the wine,"

"And the food," she sighed. "There's a ton of it. I don't know if I've ever seen so much in one place," when she looked into his eyes, she could see a similar haze to the one she felt, and giggled. "They've been generous with you too,"

"Yes, but I can hold my liquor," he smirked, and she couldn't really argue. While she felt unsteady on her feet, and found herself slurring some of her words, he was rock solid, and clear-spoken.

"Not fair," she pouted, but they both knew she didn't mean it.

As another dance began behind them, he pulled her with him toward the dancing circle.

"Dance with me,"

It wasn't exactly a request, but she nodded. He adjusted his hold on her, wrapping an arm around her, and taking her hand. They fell into step with the hobbits, who smiled at the couple, but Danica didn't notice. Her eyes were trapped by his. How could eyes the color of an icy lake be so warm, and make you feel so hot? She wasn't sure if the heat creeping up her neck was from the alcohol, exertion, the warmth of his hold, or his gaze. Likely a mix of all of them. Her face nearly exploded in red when he leaned his face closer to hers. Just when she was beginning to feel breathless, the music ended to more applause. They broke apart to join the others, and when Danica turned back to him, they were somewhere else.

It had to be a human dwelling, judging by the size of everything. Music played here as well, and they had danced alongside others. The others in the Company. There were Fili and Kili, bright and full of life. It made her heart ache to see it. Kili had been so young, with so much ahead of him. She looked back, and was looking at Thorin again at the party. Though everything around her was the same, she felt different; heavier.

"Danica? Are you alright?" Thorin asked, voice low in her ears.

She meant to nod, but couldn't. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "I just saw Laketown. The night before Durin's Day. I saw Kili," her eyes welled up with tears, which threatened to spill over.

"Come on," Thorin led her over to a bench and sat her down.

"We were all smiling, and laughing, and…he was just so alive," she sniffed, and worked to regain composure.

"I may not remember that night just yet, but I think of him too," he took her hand, and rubbed it sympathetically. "But now is not the time to mourn. I am sure there will plenty of time for that later,"

Keeping a hold of her hand, he pulled her back up, but didn't take her back to dancing, like she had expected. Instead, he took her away from the party, up onto a bare hill. The air was balmy and pleasant, and the party was beautiful to look at from above. They sat down, side by side, enjoying the peaceful night. Something suddenly occurred to Danica as she was admiring the large tree the party sat under. A light chuckle had Thorin looking at her.

"That tree grew from an acorn Bilbo picked up from Beorn's garden,"

Thorin looked back at the tree for a moment, then gave a bemused smile. "I think I remember him talking about that acorn. Amazing what sixty years can do,"

As Gandalf began lighting his fireworks, they fell silent, watching. Danica found this more of a pleasant distraction than dancing would have been. She was able to slip back into the warm haze of alcohol, letting it make her head light and fuzzy. When the fireworks began to get too bright, she laid back in the grass and stared up at the stars.

* * *

Thorin could not remember having ever met someone he felt comfortable sharing such quiet time with. He had always been someone who needed to be alone at times to just enjoy the silence. With Danica, he didn't need to be alone. He glanced down at her as she lay in the grass, her hair spread around her. In the moonlight, it shone more silver than gold. She had done something with it so it curled gently and appealingly around her face, and had braided flowers throughout. The ale was still humming in his veins, making his blood warm.

His eyes lowered to her legs, where her skirt had risen above her knee as she'd bent it. Her skin was pale and creamy, and the longer he watched her, the desire to touch her returned. Every part of her. Without any conscious thought, he reached out and skimmed the back of his hand over her calf. She was so soft, and brought images of the two of them in his bedroom in Erebor. Images that only strengthened the need that had been building within him. When she shifted slightly, he looked back to see her watching him, her lashes lowered to cast her eyes in shadow, making them dark and smoky. Entranced, he leaned back on an elbow, one hand still on her leg. That hand slid above her knee, pushing her skirt and underclothes further up her thigh.

Danica's breath sped up, occasionally catching in her throat. Her lips parted, and the heat that rose in her eyes was an open invitation. Descending the rest of the way, he covered her mouth with his. They sighed together, as if what had truly been missing had been this, and not their memories. Danica rolled into him, wrapping a leg around his waist. He used his free hand to twine into her hair, keeping her head close while minding his nose. Just as he could feel the alcohol in his system, he tasted it on her tongue. It relaxed them both, and lowered their inhibitions.

The feel and taste of her drove all else from his mind. Instinct took over, and it felt so natural, that neither of them questioned it. Even without completely remembering it, their bodies knew that they had done this before, and knew what steps to take. She moaned rough and deep, pulling at his shirt until she found bare flesh. He gave a moan as well, as she ran her hands over his back and chest. Wanting to feel her skin, he pulled the neckline of her shirt down her shoulder, and cursed how slow and difficult corsets were to get off. She smiled against his lips, and turned slightly, so they could both work on untying the blasted thing together. When he growled at his failed attempts, she pulled back a little, and laughed. The more they tried, the harder she laughed.

Finally, as tears were streaming down her cheeks, he had to give up. Mood thoroughly and completely ruined, he leaned back on his elbow again, and watched as she tried to gain composure, which she lost every time she looked at his face.

"I'm…sorry," she managed between gasps.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked, though not without humor.

She took a deep breath, then smiled. "I think so. I'm sorry for laughing. It's just that Gandalf was the one who helped me tie this, and I had an image of him being the only one who could untie it,"

Even he couldn't hold back a smile. "I suppose this would have been easier had one of us been sober,"

"Probably,"

Anything else they might have said fell away as a giant firework in the shape of a dragon swooped down over the valley. Thorin jumped up as the party attendants were all forced to throw themselves to the ground. However, they were all laughing and cheering as it passed, and exploded over the hill.

"Hobbits," Thorin shook his head, then turned to Danica, who had stood as well. "We should return to the party,"

"I agree, but um…I'll need some help making myself decent," she gestured to the mussed state of her hair and clothes.

**P.S.** Thank you all for reading! Reviews and comments are most welcome!


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N.** Heeeeere's another one! Posted a different version, then found this one, which I liked better. Haha. Sorry for any confusion.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

Thorin was reluctant to return to the party, though it had been his suggestion. His mind was whirling with how everything had changed with that one kiss. He had seen their kiss at Beorn's, but he had also seen much more than that, though not all of it had made sense. What had made sense were the images of him and Danica in his bedchamber. Made sense, but left his blood running uncomfortably hot. What hadn't made as much sense was seeing her on a deserted bridge in Erebor, looking to be in complete despair. The scene had seemed fabricated somehow, but he couldn't explain it to himself. He wanted to figure it out, but the hobbits seemed to be gathering.

No one had really noticed their absence, except for Bilbo, who winked at them as they sat for his speech. All the hobbits were chanting as Bilbo stood beneath the tree. He acknowledged every family there, as well as his "old friends." He spoke with charm, eloquence, and wit (some of which was lost on his fellow hobbits). Thorin felt a sense of pride as he looked around. All of these people were smiling and laughing for Bilbo. The hobbit who had started off as a prim and proper nuisance. He was so much more than that now. The speech changed tone suddenly, and had Thorin looking at Gandalf, who was watching Bilbo carefully.

"I regret to announce this is the end," Bilbo proclaimed solemnly. "I am leaving now. I bid you all a very fond farewell," his eyes went to Thorin and Danica, then on his nephew as he smiled. "Goodbye,"

Everyone gasped or screamed when he suddenly disappeared. Thorin shot up from the bench, but Gandalf was already hurrying away. He then looked to Danica, but she was staring off into the abyss, eyes wide and fearful.

"Dani, what's wrong?" he put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She gasped and jumped as though he had yelled at her. When she looked at him, the fear was still in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked. "Is it about Bilbo?"

"Yes and no," she shook her head as if to steady herself. "What should we do?" she gestured to the panicking party-goers.

Thorin glanced down at them, with Frodo trying to speak above the clatter to calm them down.

"Stay here," Thorin told Danica before making his way next to Frodo. "Quiet!"

His yell echoed throughout the crowd, and had them freezing. All eyes were on him, so he moved out of the way. Frodo gave a nod of thanks, and resumed his attempts. He finally managed to get everyone settled, thanked them for their attendance, and excused them to go home if they wished. Sam, Thorin, and Danica went to his side once everyone began to disperse.

"I want to go look for Bilbo, but someone needs to stay here, and…" he gestured helplessly to the chaos around them.

"Go," Danica said. "We can handle everything here,"

"We'll make sure everything gets cleaned up," Sam added.

Frodo looked unsure, and glanced up at Thorin.

"Go find your uncle," Thorin encouraged. "And give him a smack on the back of the head for me for causing all this disruption,"

Mood lightening a little, Frodo smiled and nodded before taking off.

"Looks like everyone is pretty much headed home," Sam sighed. "I can get a couple of people to stay and take down tents,"

"I'll help you," Thorin offered.

They went about their business calmly, while Danica helped a couple of the women gather plates so they could be taken back to the Green Dragon. Though the atmosphere was no longer frantic, the hobbits who remained were still buzzing. Magic was not common in this area, and people were reacting to Bilbo's disappearance with a mix of awe and disapproval. They blamed Gandalf, the quest for Erebor, and worried about the effect it would have on Frodo, who was already a bit of a free spirit. Thorin had to smile at the disdainful way they mentioned the guest. They seemed happy enough with it when Bilbo had been entertaining their children. Some of his humor evaporated, however, when he heard one man blaming the "whole mess" on Danica and himself.

"A dwarf and a human woman show up, and only a day later does catastrophe hit!"

"I wouldn't call it a catastrophe," Sam ventured, only to be sneered at.

"You're too soft. Mind what company you keep, Lad, or you'll find yourself in the worst kinds of trouble,"

Clenching his teeth, Thorin turned to protest, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Leave it," Gandalf said. "These are simple folk who want uncomplicated lives," his eyes were wild and bright, and had Thorin on edge.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I need to leave, and I think you, and Danica should come with me,"

"Leave? Now? Gandalf, it is late, and-"

"I know, but I believe matters to be urgent. I must ride to Gondor as soon as possible,"

"But why Gondor? What is-"

"No more questions!" the wizard snapped, then regained some of his composure. "I will explain what I can later. For now, go get Danica, and we can collect what things you have,"

Still flummoxed, but not wanting to cross Gandalf any further, Thorin did as he was told. When he reached Danica, she didn't seem overly surprised, and followed him up the hill without question. Feeling very much like a mushroom, Thorin went along with it, helping to gather what little they had, making sure to secure Orcrist at his side. Frodo gave them what supplies he could, shuffling around in a sort of dismayed shock. Thorin felt awful for leaving the young hobbit in such a state, but Gandalf would not be swayed. At least they knew now that Bilbo was on his way to Rivendell. Why he had felt the urge to make such a fuss was beyond Thorin, but Bilbo always did have a flair for the dramatic.

It was nearly midnight when they made their way, but each of them was wide awake. For a while, they stayed silent, Thorin and Danica not wanting to disturb Gandalf's stormy mood. However, Thorin had never been one content with being kept in the dark.

"Will one of you two tell me what is going on?"

Gandalf looked over in surprise. "One of? Danica, did you remember more?"

"I think so?" she responded, unsure. "It was more of a vision, really. When Bilbo disappeared, I heard a voice in my head, whispering words I couldn't understand, but sounded familiar, and evil. I saw flames, and felt their heat. Somehow, I felt like this was just the beginning of something,"

"More like the middle," Thorin said darkly, thinking of Sauron, and his meddling 60 years before.

Gandalf sighed heavily through his nose. "Then it could all be as I feared,"

"What do you mean?" Danica's voice was low with apprehension.

"Bilbo's disappearance was the product of a magic ring. He found it in the goblin tunnels, and has held on to it all this time,"

Well, that certainly explained a lot. "No wonder he was able to get through so many places unseen," Thorin mused, thinking back to Bilbo's vague descriptions of his miraculous escapes.

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, but I worry about that ring. He had a great, jealous need for it, and I believe it is what has kept him so young,"

A darkness settled over them at these words.

"You believe it could be a ring of power," Thorin said softly.

"I believe it could be The Ring of Power,"

Echoes of conversations with Danica stirred in his head. Of all the times for her to have amnesia…

"If what you believe is true, is it safe for Bilbo to keep it?"

"He left it to Frodo, who has put it away at my request. I think it is safer here, out of sight, than it would be anywhere else,"

Thorin wasn't completely convinced, but didn't argue.

"Why are we going to Gondor?" Danica asked.

"If I am going to be sure of my suspicions, I need to do some research. The library at Minas Tirith has some of Isildur's own accounts of the Ring. I just hope they will dispel my fears,"

"And if they don't?"

Gandalf looked down at Thorin with an expression that had dread filling his chest. "Then we will all have to be ready,"

Danica glanced over at Thorin and, even in the dark, he could see the fear in her eyes. His own mind was racing. If this war was going to happen, where would the front lines be? How could the dwarven armies best be used?

"Why do you need us to go with you?" Danica asked after a couple minutes' silence.

"Because the enemy has been hunting you, and you are harder to hide than a ring," a smile was evident in his voice. "The two of you attract too much attention, and we do not want eyes looking to the Shire. Though it is hidden away right now, I believe your knowledge may be useful in Gondor. Some of the scrolls might bring back some memories,"

Thorin cast a glance at Danica's face, barely lit by moonlight, but couldn't discern her expression. Knowing he couldn't ask her about her thoughts now, he instead focused on what to do next.

"I need to send word to Fili and Dain before rumor does,"

"No," Gandalf's response was so brusque that it had Thorin gritting his teeth.

"What?"

"We cannot risk a message falling into the wrong hands. Better to wait until you can actually see them,"

"Which will be when?" he tried to pin Gandalf with his gaze, but was hopelessly unsuccessful.

"That has yet to be determined," Gandalf eventually responded. "It will depend on how this journey goes. You may either part ways with us half way, or journey to Erebor from Gondor,"

More half answers that left more questions than they solved. No one really wanted to speak after that, but couldn't rest either. Danica sought out Thorin's hand in the dark, and held on tightly. They took comfort from each other, both afraid of what the future may hold.


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N.** Three in one day? What is this magic? Pre-written chapters….that's what.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

The journey from the Shire to Bree was easy-going, especially since they had the cart, which was now empty of fireworks. If one of them was tired, they could climb back and sleep for a while. Because of this, they were able to ride through each night. However, Gandalf still found their pace too slow, and traded the cart in for another horse when they reached Bree. Thorin and Danica would have to ride together, but they didn't complain. It made sense, seeing as how another horse would be too expensive, and they needed supplies. So, when they stopped in Bree, they got the horse, some food, and better traveling clothes. Though he was very reluctant, Gandalf agreed to spend a night at the inn so they could all rest before the next leg of their journey.

Danica had recognized the dreary town the moment they'd entered. It had been raining the first time she'd been there, though it wasn't now. The clear sky didn't help the dark mood of the place, but at least this time they weren't being pursued. As far as they knew anyway. They were all still a little antsy, but had calmed down some on the road.

"We'll need to be careful," Gandalf murmured as they traded the cart in. "You will need to use different names. You are suspicious enough as it is,"

Danica shared an exasperated glance with Thorin, but they agreed. Thorin took the name Vard, and Danica went with her middle name, Kathleen. Gandalf booked two rooms, stating it would be less conspicuous for he and Thorin to share one, and Danica to have her own. There was something about the way Gandalf said it that had suspicion growing within her. Judging by Thorin's dark look, he had the same notion. However, Gandalf gave them no opportunity to confront him about it. They were rushed through dinner, and then instantly sent to bed. Gandalf waited just enough time to say they would be leaving near dawn before closing the door. Feeling a little frazzled, Danica sat in front of the fire, staring blankly into the flames.

The time since Bilbo's party had gone by in a blur, with Danica scrambling to figure out what was happening. Gandalf and Thorin kept looking at her, waiting for her to magically answer all their questions. She desperately wished she could, but anything having to do with a ring remained thoroughly and completely sealed. Pressing her lips together, she stared harder into the flames, and wracked her brain.

She could see herself and Thorin making their way through Bree, followed by two men. He had pulled her into an alley, and kissed her to keep them from being discovered. A smile lifted her lips, but was short-lived. The rest of their stay had been fraught with one nightmare after another. Her fingers reached back to feel the slightly raised skin of her scars. That's right, she had seen Smaug long before she had actually met him face to face. Then, she'd had no control over where her dreams led her. She'd been at the mercy of some other force. Not now. Now, she knew things could be different.

It wasn't quite clear to her when her thoughts turned to dreams. Her attempts to regain her memories led her through her journey with the Company. Everything seemed normal until Mirkwood. There was something missing. Something important. It was the same information Gandalf and Thorin were waiting for, and apparently had a great evil hunting her. If only she knew…

_"I could help you," a voice murmured. _

_ "Who are you?" she asked nervously, the scene around her changing from rushing river to quiet forest. _

_ "A friend. We've spoken before, though you don't remember," _

_ She wasn't sure whether that should comfort or concern her. Either way, something was off, but she was desperate to clear away the rest of the fog. _

_ "How can you help me?"_

_ A figure appeared in front of her, blurry around the edges. It held out a hand to her. Though her stomach clenched with nerves, she lifted her hand and took the one offered. The instant she did, she felt something cold and dark slide over her. Whoever it was gave a triumphant laugh and pulled her forward into their arms so she couldn't move. The feeling of a drill pressing into her head began as it had when she was working with Gandalf. Though she fought to stay silent, it overwhelmed her, and she cried out._

_ "It seems someone has helped you lock away your memories quite tightly," the words barely made their way through her agony. "Let me show you some of what you are missing," _

_ Though the pain remained, her focus cleared. She saw a beautiful man as he plotted and schemed, carefully laying out his plans. No one could see what the rings of power meant, and even once the elves began to unravel the puzzle, it was too late. With the One, he plunged the world into darkness. Perfect, beautiful darkness. However, that ring had gone missing, and he needed it back. Needed it the way lungs needed breath. It was the final piece in his plan to restore his perfect order. He knew it was not as lost as many claimed it to be._

_ 'Baggins…'_

_ A creature, dark and wretched screeched in the night. He'd had it once, and knew where it was now, but had been surprisingly resistant to torture. _

_ "You know as well,"_

_ "No," she tried to think of anything else but what he wanted._

_ "You should not try and defy me," the voice grew cold and hard, and he tightened his grip until she whimpered in pain._

"Danica! What do you think you are doing?!" another voice jolted her awake, a different, but still painful grip shaking her shoulders.

She sat up, breath rattling painfully in her chest. Gandalf was standing over her, looking livid.

"What did you do?" his voice rose even more, and he gave her another shake.

"Gandalf! That's enough!" Thorin burst in and pulled Danica away, keeping her against him as she shook.

"He was here," Gandalf growled. "Sauron was here. She may as well have invited him in. We cannot keep your mind protected if you willingly give it away!"

"I didn't mean to!" Danica exclaimed, panicked and overwhelmed. "I didn't know. He just-he…it was-" she stopped, taking a breath to steady herself and will some of the pain away. "He appeared in my dream, promising to bring back my memories,"

"What did you show him?"

"Nothing. He showed me who he was, and that he's looking for the Ring. He has someone, or something captive that used to have it. He's torturing it to find out what it knows,"

For a moment, Gandalf seemed to stop breathing, his eyes widening. Danica suddenly realized that he wasn't truly angry, he was frightened. Truly, and deeply frightened. That knowledge only served to scare her just as badly. She felt Thorin's grip on her tighten, and knew he felt the same.

"We are running out of time," Gandalf murmured hoarsely. "A couple more hours to rest, and then we should go. Thorin, why don't you stay here in case Danica has another dream?"

Though she couldn't see him, she assumed he nodded. Without another word, Gandalf walked out. Thorin sighed and helped Danica up.

"Come. We should get as much rest as possible,"

He was distant, and barely looked at her as she crawled into bed.

"Are you angry with me too?" she asked softly.

There was no response at first, and he kept his back to her. His silence had her chest tightening painfully. Finally, he sighed and turned to face her.

"No, I'm not angry," he said. "It just seems like there is so much out of our control," and she could see how much it ate away at him.

"I know," she responded. "It frustrates me too,"

The snort he let out spoke to how inadequate he thought her phrasing was. She smiled.

"Alright, it pisses me off too,"

Thorin gave a half nod of approval before one corner of his mouth tilted upward. He began to settle into a chair, leaving the bed to her, but she would have rather died than stay in that bed alone. With so many of her memories back, everything was different.

"Thorin,"

When he looked back at her, she held out a hand to him.

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

"Please,"

Looking almost relieved, he walked over and joined her. She turned into him and laid her head on his chest. Just like when they had kissed at the party, she felt whole again. She opened her mouth to tell him all that she had remembered before Sauron had appeared, but he spoke first.

"I saw something when we kissed," his voice was soft, distant. "There were moments of our lives in Erebor, and something else I couldn't explain. You were standing on a bridge in Erebor, looking about ready to jump," he sounded deeply troubled by the image, and she had no real way to comfort him. She couldn't remember such a thing.

"Do you think that was a memory, or something from the future?"

"I'm not sure,"

"I don't remember anything like that,"

Thorin adjusted slightly, looking down at her. "What do you mean?"

Knowing they weren't going to sleep right away, Danica sat back up. "Before I fell asleep, I remembered most of the quest. There are still some bits missing, and I still don't remember anything after Laketown,"

"It seems your memories are coming back rather quickly," he sat up as well, his voice and expression unreadable.

She waited to see if he would elaborate any, but he didn't. "What's bothering you?"

Unable to sit still, he got up and began pacing.

"I wish I knew. As you, yourself have felt, there is a dread that I cannot understand," he shook his head. "There probably isn't much point in dwelling on it now since neither of us can remember,"

The bitterness in his voice took her by surprise. As he continued to pace, she tried, and failed to come up with something to say. There were times when words did no good. So, she rose and approached him, putting a hand on his arm. When he stopped his pacing, his eyes were dark and stormy. Knowing what that look could mean, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his cheek. After she pulled back, he sighed, some of the tension melting off of him. Expression softening, he cupped the side of her face.

"Thank you,"

"For what?"

"Being you," his smile had her bones turning to mush, and her stomach erupting in butterflies. Just when she thought he was going to kiss her again, he pulled away.

"Now we really should get some rest,"

Completely unsatisfied, she nodded, and followed him back to bed. However much she wanted to breach the barrier between them, he needed to remember all of who they had been. They both did. Trying to keep that in mind, she settled beneath the blankets.

**P.S.** Thank you all for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N.** Managed to get this one mostly edited during rehearsal last night, which was nice. 😊 Not doing much for this particular concert, so I tend to have more down time. I hope I'm not overwhelming anyone with the sudden onslaught of chapters for this story. Lol. Things will definitely slow down now, as I move on to uncharted territory. (i.e. unwritten content). Reviews and/or comments would be lovely! Thank you all!  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

They traveled hard and fast, barely stopping. Thorin had traveled this way before, but it still left him weary to the bone. Danica fared worse, constantly nodding off while they were riding. It got to the point where he had to keep her in front of him at all times so he could keep her from sliding off the horse. One night, Thorin forced Gandalf to stop so they could get a full nights' rest. They were all dragging, and Danica could no longer remain conscious. Eyes drooping, Gandalf reluctantly nodded, and they found a small clearing off the side of the road. Too tired to even eat, they collapsed on their bed rolls and drifted off. Well, Gandalf and Danica did. Despite his fatigue, Thorin's eyes remained stubbornly open.

He had been in the wild enough times to know when danger was near, and his senses were prickling. The night air was warm enough that they didn't need a fire, so his eyes had to adjust to the dim light of the moon, which forced his other senses to heighten. He remained aware and on edge for a couple of hours before the peaceful sounds of night suddenly changed. The nocturnal animals ceased their chattering, and their movement was replaced by something else breaking the twigs on the ground. Moving slowly, Thorin lifted himself up onto an elbow, noticing as Gandalf did the same. They nodded to each other, grabbing their swords.

Danica was still heavily asleep, so it took a few shakes to wake her. Once her eyes were open and aware, Thorin motioned for her to remain quiet, and hide in one of the trees. Since she had no weapon, she nodded and gingerly crawled away in the direction Gandalf pointed. When they knew she was safe, Thorin and Gandalf got up, and listened intently for their attackers. The orcs jumped out at them from two sides, shrieking viscously, breaking the night with sounds of battle. Orcrist clashed against their blades, casting a soft blue light in the darkness. Thorin wasn't sure how many there were, but it seemed like a small hunting party.

A different, more familiar shriek had him jerking away from the fight to look at the tree Danica was hiding in. Horrified, he watched as an orc wrestled her off the branch, and landed hard on the ground.

"Danica!" he yelled at her when she remained stunned.

She barely managed to shake herself off before the orc charged her. Thorin was forced to turn away as his own opponent attacked him again. Fear driving him, he cut down two more orcs, the third turning and running away.

"Stop him!" Gandalf cried.

Growling, Thorin followed a few paces before throwing Orcrist as hard as he could. To his immense surprise, the blade embedded itself in the foul creature's back. Forgetting it for the time being, he ran back to Danica, who was being tended to by Gandalf, the orc who attacked her lying a couple feet away; dead.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, dropping to his knees next to her.

"A small gash on the side of her head, but nothing too serious," Gandalf used the light from his staff to see and tend to her wound.

Thorin could now see the blood dripping down her face, but he knew how badly head wounds could bleed. That didn't stop him from feeling the mix of anger, guilt, and concern. Seeing his tension, Danica looked up and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's not that bad," she said.

"We need to get you a weapon," Gandalf said as he finished bandaging her head.

"The last I remember, I was barely even passable at fighting,"

"Your muscles will remember their previous skill," Thorin guaranteed, then looked at Gandalf. "That did not feel like a random attack,"

"Because it wasn't," the wizard said darkly. He held up a piece of parchment that looked very similar to the one he had shown Thorin upon their first meeting.

"What does it say?" Thorin asked, moving closer.

"It is a bounty on both of you. Payment for Danica's capture, and for your head,"

"How did that get around so fast?" Danica glanced at the parchment through squinted eyes.

"I do not think this is new,"

Sure enough, when Thorin got a closer look, he could see the fading of the ink, and aging on the edges of the note.

"But how did they find us?" rising, Thorin offered a hand to help Danica up.

Gandalf also rose. "His spies are everywhere. Word of your arrival has spread a lot faster than I anticipated. We need to get to Rivendell as quickly as possible,"

After making sure Danica could stand on her own, Thorin retrieved Orcrist, then packed up their horse. For the next few days, they rode harder than before, stopping even less. It felt like he hadn't even had time to accept where they were going before they were suddenly descending into the Hidden Valley. Having been so exhausted, Thorin hadn't kept track of time very well. Unlike last time, though, he was at least willing to stay here. This didn't stop his inner grousing, of course. Seeing the look of joy on Danica's face upon seeing her old home, he kept the negativity to himself. With how on edge they all were, the last thing he wanted was to start an argument.

"It looks different," Danica breathed. "Almost…tired. Like some of the life has been taken from it,"

Looking at it more closely now, Thorin had to agree. Though he had no great love for the place, even he felt a twinge of regret.

"The elves have been leaving middle earth," Gandalf explained somberly. "Their domains are slowly fading into nothing more than memory,"

Danica sighed heavily. "That's so tragic. So much beauty and history lost,"

Gandalf just nodded as they crossed the bridge into the elven city. A few of the elves who saw them smiled in greeting at Gandalf, and looked curiously at his two companions. Once they recognized them, their eyes widened in disbelief. By the time Lord Elrond came to welcome them, a small crowd had gathered, whispering softly to each other.

"Welcome back," a warm, wide smile graced the elf lord's features.

Danica slid off of their horse, and went straight into his arms. "It is so good to see you,"

"You as well," her foster father stroked her hair once. "A weight has been lifted from my heart seeing you alive. It is a relief to see you as well, King Thorin. Apparently, our Dani refused to be parted from you,"

"Thank you. She is a wonder," Thorin responded, causing Danica to blush.

"Come. You look exhausted, but we need to get you some food first,"

Thorin moved next to Danica as Gandalf and Elrond said a few words in elvish. It would never cease to vex him how the elves would constantly speak their own language in front of people who couldn't understand it. Trying to ignore it, he followed them as Elrond led them to some wash basins where they could rinse their hands and faces, then to an informal dining area. Though it wasn't really lunch or dinner time, they were served full portions. Gandalf filled Elrond in on their tale, and his suspicions about the ring. A deep frown had settled in the elf's face as he listened.

"You have to be absolutely sure. If your suspicions are correct, it is grave news for us all,"

"That is why I am going to Gondor. I will leave the day after next so Danica can get some rest,"

There it was again; Gandalf separating them. "Gandalf…" the warning in Thorin's voice was clear, causing the others to look at him.

"I am sorry Thorin, but I believe it would be best for you to head to Erebor from here. You need to be with your people, and it would be safer for the both of you,"

Before he could protest, Elrond cut in. "I agree. Anonymity will be easier for Danica if you are apart,"

Grinding his teeth in irritation, and to keep from shooting his mouth off, Thorin looked at his wife. With a start, he realized that it was the first time he had really thought of her that way since their strange arrival in Hobbiton.

"What about you?" he asked her.

Her eyes, wide and anxious, looked between him and the other two, before settling on her hands. "I'm not completely sure," she confessed. "What they're saying makes sense, but the thought of leaving you scares me. But…perhaps going to Gondor is the best chance I have to fill in some of the blanks,"

His stomach dropped as their fate was sealed. "And I have to go to Erebor. I guess that settles it then,"

She looked up at him, hurt and regret plain on her face. "You can't come with me?"

He gave a curt shake of his head as response, then pushed away from the table. "Excuse me,"

Knowing the betrayal that would be in her eyes, he turned and walked away without looking back. The need to be alone was intense and undeniable. Even as he searched for peace and quiet, there was an elf seemingly behind every corner. He had to go up to where he had stayed before to finally get some peace. Despite the quiet, or maybe because of it, his thoughts and conflicting emotions continued to plague him.

**P.S.** I really debated how much I wanted to change this last part, but it still ended up feeling right. Where things go from here is anyone's guess right now. Lol.


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N.** So tempted to change the settings on this story. It's under crossovers right now (because it is one), but not as many people see it. Anywho, thank you to all of you who have been reading! I really appreciate you!  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

"Let him go," Gandalf said, putting a hand on Danica's arm to stop her from following Thorin.

Trying to swallow back tears, she sat back down. "Is this really the right course? I mean, I know it's the most logical, but something doesn't feel right,"

Elrond and Gandalf shared a look she couldn't quite decipher.

"Take the next day to think on it," Elrond suggested. "We will not force you into anything,"

"Thank you," she tried to smile, but her lips just wouldn't cooperate. "How are Laneia and Gilean?"

"Gilean is well. He still tends the aviary, though it is not as busy as it once was. I am afraid Laneia is gone,"

"Gone?" Danica's heart dropped like a stone in water.

"She took a ship to the west three summers ago. I am sorry,"

The evening just seemed to get worse and worse, and she suddenly wanted sleep more than anything. She was afraid to ask about the twins.

"Is my room available?"

Face softening in understanding, Elrond nodded. "Some of your things are still there as well. None of us could bear the thought of getting rid of them,"

Curiosity about her foster siblings grew, until she could no longer stay silent. "Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen…are they…?"

Finally, Elrond smiled. "They're here. They will be happy to see you once you have gotten some sleep,"

Able to relax a little, she excused herself, and began making her way to her room. It disturbed her just how empty the place felt, like it was turning into a ghost town. Though she didn't want to admit it, she knew that's exactly what was happening. It all felt like an era was ending. She hoped that whatever came after would be good. As she passed the aviary, it suddenly struck her that Kaine would be long gone. Heart aching even more she wondered who had taken care of him, and if he'd had a good life. Gilean was nowhere in sight. It almost came as a relief because she did not feel like she had the energy for a reunion at that moment. Her feet practically dragged up the stairs, but she finally made it to her room.

A breeze stirred the gauzy curtains ever so slightly, making the already deserted place seem even more so. The loss began to overwhelm her, and she collapsed heavily onto the bed, tears streaming down her face. With the blankets and pillows muffling any sound, she let her sobs escape her, unrestrained.

_She stood on the edge of a white cliff, looking out on a bare valley. Across that valley lay a mountain range black as night; a perpetual storm cloud hanging over the land that lay beyond. Never having been comfortable with heights, she took a couple steps back, and realized that she hadn't been on a cliff at all. She was standing on top of a city built into the side of the mountain. The more she looked, the more familiar her surroundings became. _

_ "Minas Tirith," she murmured. "Which makes that-"_

_ "Mordor," _

_ Heart jumping into her throat, she turned, and nearly sobbed at the sight of Kili. Beaming, he ran, as she did, and they practically flew into each other's arms. _

"_How are you here?" she asked through tears and laughter. _

_He just smiled. "Mahal protects us, and Illuvatar is gracious," _

_She blinked. "That doesn't really answer my question," _

_Continuing the mystery, he laughed, and hugged her again, but didn't say anything else. After that, they just watched the storm rumbling in the distance. It was the only sound, as a silence had fallen over the rest of the city._

_ "It's so still," she said, voice quiet for fear of shattering the silence. "Is it always like this?"_

_ Kili crossed his arms over his chest, looking suddenly like his uncle. "No. There was always the sense that something could happen, but this is different. As if everyone knows something will happen,"_

_ Somehow, she knew it too. "Is this the present, or future?"_

_ "I'm not completely sure, but I would say the near future," he looked at her for a moment, then smiled._

_ "What?" she asked when he continued watching her._

_ "You are so lovely. No wonder Uncle fell in love with you,"_

_ Blushing, she smiled and looked away. The pleasure faded somewhat as she remembered how Thorin had looked earlier. "I don't think he felt so today,"_

_ "Of course he did, but what happened today?"_

_ "We arrived in Rivendell, and were told that we should part ways," _

_ "Ah, yes,' he sighed. "He likely wasn't upset with you. With so many of his memories gone, he will be struggling with his duty to his people, and his desire to stay with you," _

_ Danica wrapped her arms around herself. "It's all getting so messed up,"_

_ He looked over at her again, then took her hand. She held on as tightly as she could, thankful for what comfort he tried to give, but aching that he would be gone when she awoke. _

_ "I've remembered so much about the quest, and who he and I were together, but we just seem to be moving further and further apart. My whole purpose when I first came here was to save all of you, but now I'm being pulled away from him for a purpose I can't even remember, and I can't figure out why those memories are blocked. None of it makes any sense,"_

_ "Because so many things did not go according to plan," a different voice said. _

_ Lady Galadriel stood next to the white tree, expression neutral and unreadable. Despite this, and her words, Danica felt relief. _

_ "It is good to see you, my Lady," she smiled, which had the elf lady smiling as well. _

_ "And you. You had us all concerned. It is a relief to know that you are safe and well,"_

_ Unable to keep up with the small talk, Danica launched into her questions. "What did you mean, 'things didn't go according to plan?'" _

_ At this, Galadriel's lips twitched in amusement. "Aside from being unable to send you back to your world, we were also unable to keep your identity safe, and you brought your husband with you, which none of us thought was possible. It seems nearly impossible to predict what course your future will take," _

_ "So, would it be useless to ask what I should do next? Gandalf wants me to travel with him to Gondor, which I know could help, but something feels wrong about it," _

_ "Something feels wrong about leaving Thorin," Galadriel corrected, causing Danica to nod sheepishly. "That is understandable, but I also know how the dreams, and lack of memories trouble you," _

_ "Yes. Sauron is a great enough threat without whatever power and information he thinks I have. If I can't learn how to control my own mind, no one will be safe," _

_ "I agree," _

_ When Galadriel didn't elaborate right away, Kili gave a small, frustrated sigh. "Would it not be more helpful to just answer her question?"_

_ Danica raised a brow, even while Galadriel continued to smile. Apparently, death had done very little in helping his patience. _

_ "Find Radagast, if you can," Galadriel said. "We had given him the Arkenstone many years ago to try and remove the darkness that lay on it. Our hope was that, instead of being a bridge between you and Sauron, it could protect your mind from him, and other dark magic,"_

_ "Did he succeed?" Danica asked. _

_ Now Galadriel's face and voice darkened a little. "I am afraid I do not know. We have not heard from him in some time,"_

_ Feeling Kili's hand squeeze hers ever so slightly, she looked up to see his jaw clenched. _

_ "What is it?" she asked. _

_ There was a tension radiating off him and Galadriel that put her on edge. While the elf's seemed like mere concern and suspicion, she could tell that Kili knew something. _

_ "That is something you should discuss another time," Galadriel interceded, though she, too looked curious. "For now, we should try to free your mind from whatever has been keeping it blocked," _

_ She was still frustrated, but trepidation overrode it. "Are we sure that's a good idea? Last time I tried that, my brain nearly exploded," _

_ "Do not worry. I will make sure nothing happens to you," _

_ Before agreeing, Danica looked to Kili for reassurance. When he nodded, she took a deep breath. _

_ "Alright," _

_ Like she had in Rivendell so many years before, Galadriel held out her hands, and once Danica touched them, all else faded away. For a while, everything was dark, with voices whispering around her. She tried to focus on one at a time, but was afraid of missing something important._

_ "We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard!" _

_ "Who, then do I trust?" _

_ "You must trust yourself," _

_ "Nine companions…" _

_ The voices continued their nonsensical babbling, but she was able to realize that it all revolved around the Ring, and the war that was coming. She still couldn't see if the ring Frodo had was the One, but Sauron must be sure it was within his grasp, otherwise he wouldn't be putting his plans into motion. Though she didn't know when, she could see him moving against the kingdoms of men, bent on erasing them from the face of the earth. With the elves fleeing, they were no longer a threat, and the dwarves had always been too centered on themselves to be concerned with the rest of the world. The only exception could possibly be Fili. Forgetting about trying to regain her memory, Danica steered her vision go to the young king of Erebor, and the land he ruled over._

_ Sixty years had been good to Fili, maturing him, but not really aging. His countenance was strong and full of authority, but warm and kind as well. She could see he still carried the loss of his family, and felt the weight of responsibility heavy on his shoulders. Sauron had already tried to tempt him into an alliance twice, but Fili had refused, and had worked with Dain, Thranduil, and the king of Dale to push the orc forces out of the north. He was now discussing with Thranduil what their next move would be, and resented being tethered to the throne when so much of the fight was elsewhere. Danica tried to hone in on what they were saying, but something dark began to creep along the edge of her conscious. _

_ "We need to leave," she heard Galadriel say._

_ "Who is it?" she asked, feeling a darkness closing in around them. _

_ "Someone who has more power than you. If you do not withdraw, he will be able to discover where you are, and come find you," _

_ "Is this the same person who was helping Sauron try to take me away?"_

_ "Danica, there is no time," Kili's voice was urgent, and she could feel him tugging at her. Galadriel's image began to fade from her mind._

_ "No! Wait! I still-"_

_ "Danica!" Kili grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back. It was just the two of them standing on Minas Tirith again._

_ "Damnit!" she yelled in frustration. "I still have so many questions,"_

_ "And no time. You have to wake up,"_

_ "Why?" Even as she asked it, she could feel the dark presence growing stronger. Panicking, she looked around frantically. "How do I wake up?" _

_ Kili's face was troubled as he looked at her, then to the edge. "I have an idea, but I don't know if it would be safe,"_

_ "Only one way to find out," moving before her nerve could fail her, she tore away from him, jumped off the cliff, and fell to the stone below. _

**P.S.** Had to change quite a bit of that dream, and figure out exactly where I wanted this to go. Haha. On a side note, playing Mario Party, and getting my butt whooped. So bad.


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N.** A re-write of the previous Ch 11, bigger explanation as to all of it in the next chapter...please forgive me...I promise this will be better for the story, and will make sure that I actually get the thing done.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my own original characters and plot points.

Danica awoke with a start, having rolled off the bed. Her breath had been forced from her chest, but once it came back, she let out a cry of sheer terror and panic. Unable to regain any kind of control, she heaved and sobbed against the side of the bed. At some point, Thorin came rushing in, and took her in his arms. He asked her what was wrong, but she still couldn't speak, so he just held her tightly until she could.

"It was just a dream," she said against his shoulder, voice shaky.

"Start at the beginning," he coaxed. "What happened?"

As well as she could, she relayed the dream to him, leaving out how lonely she had felt recently. She tried to explain the voices, but they were already fuzzy, and made even less sense than before. When she spoke of Fili and Kili, she could see the need to be with his remaining nephew grow stronger. Trying not to let that bother her, she moved on to Galadriel's advice about Radagast, and the dark presence. Thorin frowned heavily.

"Could this be the person who was behind trying to take you away?"

"Galadriel didn't say, but I think so,"

Nearly as troubled as she'd been, he nodded. "How did you wake yourself?"

She took a deep breath, steadying her suddenly queasy stomach. "I jumped from the top of Minas Tirith,"

"By Mahal, Danica…"

"I could feel the impact; feel my bones shatter, and my head explode,"

His arms tightened around her, and she wasn't sure if he was comforting her, or himself. "You're alright. You're here now, and you're alright,"

Closing her eyes, she leaned into him and tried to shake off the darkness of the dream. She wanted to be able to just rest in his arms, but time was ticking away too fast. When she opened her eyes again, it startled her just how fast.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, pushing back slightly.

"Nearly a full day,"

Eyes widening, she looked outside at the late afternoon light. "Gandalf wants to leave tomorrow. What do we do?"

"If your dream is to be believed, which they always have been, you need to find Radagast. Perhaps Gandalf will help you on his way to Gondor,"

Though she had completely expected his answer, her heart dropped. Trying not to show how devastated she was, she nodded and brushed her hair back.

"I suppose I should go find Gandalf and make a plan," she forced a smile on her face and began to get up.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Thorin asked as he helped her.

"Yes. Everything is still a bit crazy, but at least I know what to do next,"

He nodded, expression strangely cool and distant. "I will let you freshen up then,"

She wanted to ask him to stay with her now, and go with her to find Radagast, but nerves kept her tongue tied until he was already out of the room. Heart heavier than ever, she bathed and dressed quickly, then went looking for Gandalf and Elrond. It was time to start taking her life back into her own hands.

* * *

Thorin stood on a balcony, looking out at the valley, but not really seeing anything. He didn't even remember how he got there, just that he had needed to walk and clear his head. Unfortunately, that had only partially worked. More than ever, he wished to talk with Balin and Dwalin. Despite his prior struggles, he was ready for the next few months' journey, but was plagued by the troublesome details. If he pushed his pace, he could reach Erebor in three to four months. Getting word to or from Danica would be next to impossible since he would have no idea where she would be. All they could really hope for was to share their strange dreams again.

"I have just come from speaking with Gandalf and Danica," Elrond came to stand next to Thorin. "To tell the truth, we really just sat and listened while she spoke,"

One side of Thorin's mouth quirked. "Her confidence is coming back,"

"Indeed," the elf lord sounded amused and exasperated at the same time. "They will stop by Rhosgabel on their way to Minas Tirith, in case Radagast has returned there. Danica will also be working on trying to find him in her dreams,"

"And if that does not work?"

"Then she will continue searching after they have found what answers may be in Minas Tirith,"

It felt wrong. All of it. When she had first arrived, her purpose had been to save him, and then be with him. Now, her purpose was elsewhere, and seemed to have nothing to do with him. And his purpose? He was no longer Kin Under the Mountain. How would he fit back in at Erebor? Perhaps work in the forges again, or as a military commander.

"I do not think you need to worry," Elrond commented. "You will both find your way, and I know you will not be separated for long,"

It was eerie how he seemed to know Thorin's thoughts. "What makes you so sure?"

The elf lord smiled. "Look how far she went to bring you to this time with her. I know, had the roles been reversed, that you would have done the same. After all, the love you two share is stronger than any obstacle that has come your way thus far,"

There was a message behind those words, and as Thorin looked at the setting sun, he knew that he had to make amends. Once he and Elrond parted ways, he began searching for Danica. This would be their last chance alone, even if he traveled through the mountains with them. The last thing he wanted was for them to part on bad terms.

"You weren't planning on leaving without me, were you?" he heard the voice as he got closer to their rooms. Coming up the stairs, he saw one of Elrond's sons walking toward Danica. Beaming, she jumped into the elf's arms.

"It's so good to see you! Where are Elrohir and Arwen?"

"They will be here soon. They have both been working on something for you, and wanted to get it done before you left,"

"Get what done?"

"Some gifts you will need on the road. While it would have been nice to spend more time with you, having you sleep all day gave us the time we needed to finish everything, and prepare for the journey,"

"Hello King Thorin," a soft, woman's voice startled Thorin, and alerted the other two to his presence.

An elf maid, far more beautiful than any he'd ever seen was walking up the stairs beside the other twin. They were both carrying a couple of bundles, and had welcoming smiles on their faces.

"I do not believe we have met," Thorin replied to the elf maid.

"My name is Arwen. I am Lord Elrond's daughter,"

He gave the customary bow, then they all congregated at the top of the stairs. Danica gave him a soft smile, but he could see her doubt. Guilt burned in him at the memory of how he had left her that morning. For the most part, he stood back while Danica had her reunion with the elves, and they gave her their gifts. Arwen had arranged for new traveling clothes and armor to be made for her in the same style she had worn before. One of the twins held out a long weapon, which shocked both Danica and Thorin.

"How did you get this?" she breathed, taking the spear into her hands.

"Balin sent it a few years ago. King Fili had wanted to put it on display in your memory, but had felt it would be wrong without having Orcrist as well,"

"That, and the dwarves were having difficulty swallowing the presence of an elven weapon in their city," Elladan sneered disdainfully. Thorin glared at him.

"An elven weapon wielded by the human wife of their king. That would be a lot for any race to swallow," Danica placated, looking cautiously at Thorin.

"Always the diplomat," Arwen smiled. "You should know, your spear has a name. The men of Dale called it the Sun Spear, and the elves of Mirkwood have adopted it in their own language. It is known as Anorech now,"

"Anorech," Danica said, as if testing the name on her tongue. "Why did they name it that?"

"Legend has it King Thorin's wife was like the sun; bright and fearsome to behold," Elrohir's eyes sparkled with mirth when she groaned at the description. Thorin thought it was rather fitting. "You may not like it, but that is what they say,"

"Lord have mercy," all three siblings chuckled when Danica passed a hand over her eyes.

"Welcome to the life of infamy," Thorin smirked.

Danica shook her head, then looked at the elves. "Thank you. All of you, for this,"

"You never need to thank us," Arwen said. "You are family, and always will be,"

"And you are mine," she swallowed roughly. "I really hope to see you again soon. I have missed you, and this place,"

"I am sure there will be time for that later,"

"And do not worry," Elrohir added. "We will make sure to say farewell to you tomorrow,"

The children of Elrond gave their respects to Thorin as well, then left the couple alone. Thorin breathed a sigh of relief, and helped Danica take her gifts into her room. It was obvious that she had been busy, judging by the pack that lay ready by the side of her bed. It struck him like a blade to the gut just how little time they had, and how much he had wasted being resentful. He turned to her to apologize, when suddenly found his arms full of her, and her lips on his.

He had barely managed to catch her, but quickly followed her mood. They remained desperately and passionately embraced until her knees buckled, forcing them to part. To keep her from falling, he tightened his grip around her waist, and then just gazed into her eyes. There was so much to say that could only be conveyed like this. When the panic began to build again, she dragged his mouth back to hers. In that moment, all she wanted was to kiss him until time stopped.

* * *

"We should probably sit," he murmured huskily after a while.

"Ok," she kissed his neck, causing him to groan.

"If you keep that up, I cannot be held responsible for what I may do,"

Danica's stomach clenched in excitement. However, when she looked back into his eyes, she saw plenty of control. Desire, yes, but enough control to make his warning baseless. Her reckless mood had her wanting to break that control, but she stepped back.

"I know we should get some sleep, but may I stay with you? Please?"

He lifted a hand and fingered her braid. There was something so incredibly tender about the gesture. "You never need to ask,"

He had helped her put her gifts into her room, and now walked with her into his. After he closed the door, he reached for her, a question in his eyes. She stepped toward him, and nodded. Her stomach tightened again as his hands skimmed her neck before peeling her outer dress off. Unable to stop herself, she reached up and brushed his vest from his shoulders, then untied the top of his tunic. When her fingers touched his bare skin, he let out a soft growl, then roughly pulled her against him, once again devouring her lips with his. In the madness that followed, her hair came undone, spilling down her back, and both of them lost a couple more articles of clothing. Lifting her off her feet, he laid them down, pressing her hard into the mattress. Breath heaving, she arched up against him and wrapped her legs around his waist. One of his hands pushed her skirt further up her thigh, eliciting a wanton sigh from her. Just as she was about to beg for him to take her, he stopped.

"What's the matter?" she breathed, trying to hide her frustration.

His face was tortured as he shook his head. "I can't,"

He rolled off of her and sat on the edge of the bed, catching his breath. Fighting back tears, Danica remained frozen for a bit, staring at the ceiling. When she did move, she slowly sat up and fixed the skirt of her dress.

"I'm sorry," Thorin said, his voice soft and full of regret. "It just feels wrong when I still have so many memories missing,"

"We are married," she pointed out, "and we both know how deeply we feel. Unless…you don't- "

"Of course I know how I feel," he moved over to her, and took her hands. "I just do not want to take you when I can't fully remember how we finally came to be together, let alone our wedding,"

She understood, but really wished she didn't. Even she hadn't been able to remember their wedding, but with no guarantees for the future, she wanted to be with him in every way.

"I really can't change your mind, can I?" she asked hopelessly.

"If you had less integrity, and tried hard enough, I'm sure you could," he said with a half-smile.

"That would be a no," she sighed, and looked down at her hands in his. His thumbs lightly stroked the back of her hands, slowly easing her pain and frustration until all that was left was sadness.

"I love you,"

The words were so soft, Danica wasn't even sure she'd heard them at first. Unsure, she looked up, and found his expression open and sincere. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized it was likely the first time he'd said it since before they'd arrived in the Shire.

"I want you to know that before tomorrow. Not just because of events neither of us can remember, but because I told you myself,"

Filled to the brim with emotion, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you too," she murmured against his neck. "I'm almost afraid to go to sleep,"

"Because of your dreams?"

"No. Because then, before I know it, it will be tomorrow,"

He stroked her hair a couple of times, then pressed his lips to her head. "What if I went with you? Just part of the way, until our paths diverged north and south?"

Hope and excitement at the idea filled her, then quickly dimmed. "It would only be a couple of weeks,"

"Yes, but that would be a couple more weeks than we would have otherwise,"

She thought about it, knowing he was right, but unsure if she could manage it after she'd been so sure that she would have to say goodbye now. Still, perhaps they would be lucky enough to get one more moment alone.

"I would love it if you would come with us," she kissed him again, feeling a little lighter than she had earlier.

"Then it is settled,"

So it was, and with both of them secured in the other's arms, they were able to drift to sleep.

**P.S.** Reviews and comments welcome!


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N.** Soooooooo….I once again wasn't happy with the direction this story was going, and began the second rewrite, starting with the end of chapter 11. I promise, that I am dedicated to finishing this story, I've just been struggling with the right path for it. Praying this will be the last rewrite. Thank you so much for your patience. I just want this story to be the best it can be.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters, and plot points.

The sun was just barely rising when Thorin, Danica, and Gandalf made their way out of the valley. Their farewell party consisted of Elrond and his family. There were tears in Danica's eyes as she hugged them. While Thorin felt relieved to be getting back on the road, it meant listening to the ticking clock on his and Danica's time together. The two of them remained as close as possible through the cold mountain pass. Once they reached the other side of the Misty Mountains, they took the road to the Old Ford, where their paths would diverge. With every step, Thorin felt his resolve slipping away, and had to find ways to strengthen it.

There were men who had made their living near The Old Ford by renting rooms, selling supplies, and offering boats to those traveling south during high season. The trio reached the group of establishments on a cool, rainy afternoon with the threat of a thunderstorm looming on the horizon. They went in search of shelter for all of them, and somewhere for Gandalf and Danica to buy some kind of transportation south.

"No boats going south now," a ferryman informed them. "The river has been too high and quick of late. No knowing when conditions will lighten. You'll have to go get some horses,"

It clearly wasn't the answer Gandalf wanted, but they made their way to the stables. After some haggling, Gandalf managed to get two fast horses that would get them to Rohan, where they could trade for two more until Minas Tirith. As for Thorin, a troupe of performers were heading up to Dale, and, upon meeting them, seemed genuinely pleased to allow him to join them. Everyone would be crossing the river, and then make their separate ways the next morning. With that weighing on them, dinner was a somber event. They gave a couple of toasts to safety, and successful journeys, but otherwise remained quiet.

Bedtime approached quickly, but as Thorin and Danica refused to be parted, they shared a room. Keeping the heavy silence from dinner, they helped each other prepare for bed, then climbed into each other's arms. The pain was palpable, no matter how hard either one tried to remain strong. Danica cracked first, tears soaking into Thorin's tunic.

"I'm sorry," she murmured when he cradled her closer. "I didn't want to cry,"

"You need not apologize," he soothed. "Would it help if I took you right now?"

He had meant it as a joke to slow the flow of tears, but there was real hope in her eyes when she looked at him.

"Please," the word was ragged, and before he could object, she pressed her lips to his. It was soft at first, but quickly turned desperate. "Please," she moaned again.

Who was he to deny this request when he wanted it just as badly? There was no knowing when they would see each other again, which left a physical ache in his chest. If something happened to pull her out of this time, or this world, he wouldn't be there. It all terrified him. So, he took comfort in the warmth of her lips, and weight of her body in his arms.

Just as had happened at Bilbo's party, their bodies knew exactly what to do. Instead of ravaging, they took each other slowly, savoring each touch kiss and caress. Using gentle, easy strokes with his fingers, he brought her to a breathless climax. When she was still limp and warm, he slipped into her. It took much of his will power to hold on past the first few thrusts. To his surprise, Danica rolled them over, leaning down to kiss him fiercely. Whatever control he thought he had, she easily stole. By whipping her hips, she mercilessly brought him to his own end. All he could do was grip her hips as hard as he could.

She lay on top of him for a few moments while they caught their breath. He lightly dragged a finger up and down her spine, causing her to arch her back like a cat.

"You have never known the power you hold," he murmured as she slid to the side. She just gave a contented sigh as response.

Even though he tried to just enjoy the moment, the coming dawn continued to haunt him. To distract himself, and try to lull her to sleep, he began humming the song that she had taught him so long ago. The song that was as much theirs as the rings on their fingers, or braids in their hair. She hummed with him for a little while, then fell silent as sleep took her. While he was able to find some rest of his own, most of the night was spent watching her sleep. When the sun began to rise, he was less ready to part than when they had gone to bed. He knew she was struggling just as much, and used every opportunity to touch her while they were dressing. There was barely enough time for them to break their fast, and then Gandalf was urging them to get moving. Danica kissed him deeply.

"Make sure you get some sleep, so that I can seek you out," she said.

"I now have more incentive than ever before in my life," he held her close, and knew that letting her go would break his heart. "Be safe, and join me in Erebor as soon as you are able,"

"I promise,"

One last kiss, and then she mounted her horse, and was gone.

"Are you coming, Master Dwarf?" one of the performers called, gaining his attention.

"Aye," he responded, looking south for one breath longer, then turning north, and joining the caravan.

It had all seemed so fast, and finding himself suddenly without her left him sullen and silent. For most of the day, the performers let him be, content to talk and sing amongst themselves. When they stopped to make camp for the night, their leader, a man named Nathir approached him.

"You are welcome at our fire, if you wish. No one will bother you. Everyone here recognizes and respects grief. Was it your wife you left this morning?"

All Thorin gave was a nod, but he did follow the man to where the campfire was being set up. While many smiled in welcome, they gave him space, and didn't force him into conversation. Not only did he respect that, he was also deeply grateful. As Nathir had observed, he was still grieving, and he worried for Danica's safety. However, there weren't too many people who could protect her better than Gandalf.

"Forgive me for saying so, but I do not know as I've ever heard of a dwarf marrying a daughter of man," Nathir commented casually. "With one notable exception of course,"

Which was a reference to the tales of himself and Danica, he was sure. However, there was something about Nathir's words that struck fear in his heart. He'd been careless when they had bidden each other farewell, and had, perhaps, cast some suspicion on their identities. He had given his false name, but had his actions rendered that useless? No matter his fears, he kept his face neutral, knowing that any other reaction could arise even more doubt.

"It is not common, but neither is it completely unheard of," Thorin responded as easily as he could. "In fact, she and I married in secret. I go to Erebor to explain what I can to my kin, and then I will join her, so we may make a life together,"

A few of the others had heard him, and he could tell they had a love for romance by the smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations to you, then," Nathir raised a glass in a toast, to which everyone joined.

"Did you ever meet King Thorin, or his wife, the Lady Danica?" one young woman asked eagerly.

"She was not just a lady, but a queen," Nathir's correction came just before Thorin's would. Color stained the girl's cheeks.

"I did not," Thorin replied. "Most of my life was spent in the Iron Hills. Only recently did I decide to do some trade in Ered Luin. As for Erebor, my family did not move there until after King Fili took the throne," the lies came easy, but were bitter on his tongue. He'd never enjoyed lying, even when it was necessary.

"Nathir, would you tell us their story?" another girl asked.

Nathir sent an amused, if not exasperated look to Thorin, but obliged. He was a masterful storyteller, and had everyone completely focused on his every word. It was like magic, but Thorin could still not ignore how odd the experience was. If he had thought bilbo's account was romantic, it was nothing compared to this. There were times he couldn't keep a brow from lifting at the shameless hyperbole. Then again, reality had also been something too magical to believe, if one hadn't lived it. One by one, as the weaving of Nathir's words continued, each member of the troupe drifted to sleep until only Nathir and Thorin remained awake.

"What do you think of the tale, Master Dwarf?" Nathir inquired when he had finished. "Is it like the tales your people tell?"

"A bit more fanciful, perhaps," Thorin replied with a wry smile. "I suppose that is to be expected given the nature of the source material,"

One corner of Nathir's mouth lifted. "Indeed. Perhaps you would be willing to share some tales of your own on this journey?"

"Maybe,"

The two smoked a pipe in amicable silence, but Thorin still felt a bit uneasy. After all, the man's brown eyes were keen, and seemed to miss nothing. In fact, there was much about him that seemed almost elf-like. He was tall and lean, with lithe limbs, and straight, almost perfect dark hair. Despite this, there was a quality about him which made it impossible to completely dislike him. Though he was shrouded in mystery, he was clearly honorable, and cared for those under his leadership.

"I should thank you, for letting me join you," Thorin said after a while. "The roads have been growing more dangerous by the year,"

"It is our pleasure. Part of the joy of being a traveling group is that you get the privilege of encountering people from nearly every race and culture. However, we have never had a dwarf travel with us before, so we were all excited about the opportunity. As for the road being dangerous," here his eyes darkened, their normal friendly light gone, "just last year, two of my girls were taken by orcs. Some of the men and I followed to try and rescue them, but by the time we reached them, their bodies had been used, cut, and discarded,"

It was sickening, but nothing new when it came to the conduct of orcs. "I am terribly sorry. No one should have to endure such horrors,"

Nathir shook his head. "To be honest, I take pleasure in killing any orcs I can get my hands on. They are a cancer in this world,"

Thorin couldn't agree more, but kept the reasons why to himself. The two shared a couple more anecdotes, and then Thorin elected to go to sleep. It had been a long day, and he was eager to see if he and Danica would find each other. As it only took him a few minutes to fall asleep, he didn't have to wait long, and there she was, a smile on her face with a coastal breeze stirring her hair.

"You're late," she admonished, but then jumped into his waiting arms.

**P.S.** Reviews and comments welcome!


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N.** Still feeling horrible about putting you all through all of this. _ This is why I should write most of the story out first before I put it up. Sigh. However, I'm liking the direction of this a whole lot more than the two drafts I had going before, and can actually see how this would continue to the end. There's hope. Ha. Thank you, eternally, from the bottom of my heart, for sticking with me! On another note, I hope you are all doing well. The current situation with the pandemic can be frightening, and divisive to the point of violence. It can also be difficult in isolation with our lives upended. My love and prayers go out to all of you. Stay safe.  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

They rode as hard, and as long as their horses would allow. When they reached Rohan, they stopped long enough to buy some new horses, and then were on their way again. Gandalf seemed to get more and more anxious as they got closer to Minas Tirith. Danica, also, felt as though they were riding toward the answers they sought. However, her mind kept returning to the dream where she had jumped from the top of the city. She could still feel the way her body had shattered, and had no wish to stand at that spot again. Unfortunately, the moment they reached the city, they were met by a guard, and informed that the Steward wished to speak with them. Gandalf and Danica shared an ominous look. They had purposefully used her false name to avoid detection. The last thing they needed was word getting out that she was alive and in Minas Tirith. Perhaps this Steward just wished to speak with Gandalf.

Cold sweat slid down Danica's brow and spine as they climbed ever higher. Once they reached the top, she could still appreciate how magnificent the view was, even as she resolved to remain a safe distance from the edge. The hall they were brought into was grander than any human dwelling she'd ever seen. Nothing could compare to Erebor, but this place was truly spectacular. White marble made up the floor and walls, and made even the softest footstep sound like the shoe was made of wood. Large, carved, marble statues in the likeness of the past kings stared with stern, noble countenances. Three men waited at the end of the hall. One of them was sitting, with the other two standing tall on either side. The resemblance was enough that Danica knew they must be related.

"Welcome, Gandalf, to my hall," the sitting man declared, spreading his hands. "And to the Dreamwalker, Danica, Queen Under the Mountain; it is an honor to have you here. We are pleased to see you alive, considering the tales of your demise. I am Lord Denethor, Steward of Gondor. This is my son and heir, Boromir,"

The man to Denethor's left gave a bow, as well as a bright, infections grin. He was handsome, and held all the nobility of his father, as well as the kindness which Denethor lacked.

"This is Captain Faramir," the last introduction was cold, and left Danica floundering. The second man, Faramir, was also clearly Denethor's son, and he was spoken of like a nuisance. Boromir's grin had faded. Faramir smiled gently, and bowed. Danica gave him the warmest smile she could.

"Thank you, my lord, for your warm welcome," she replied, addressing Denethor. "It is an honor to meet all of you, and behold your beautiful city. If I may; how did you know of my identity?" she was sure Gandalf was wondering the same thing.

Denethor gave what she was sure he thought was a charming smile. "A lord has to know what is happening within his own walls, has he not? Now, what brings the pair of you to my door?"

Gandalf explained at least a little of the dark forces hunting Danica, and said that he wished to do some research of his own. Denethor granted them access to any part of the library they may require, so long as they lodged in his home for the duration of their stay. Though it made her uneasy, Danica agreed. Clapping his hands, Denethor proclaimed that he would have a marvelous dinner prepared for them all, and that they could visit the library the following morning. Then, he dismissed Faramir to his duties, and had Boromir lead Gandalf and Danica to their rooms.

"Is Faramir your brother?" Danica asked once they were out of the hall.

Boromir sighed. "I suppose I should not be surprised that you would ascertain as much. Yes, he is my younger brother. He and my father have a…difficult relationship. Faramir does his best to please our father, and I do mine to love him enough for both my father, and myself,"

Something began tapping on the back of her mind. She knew it was her memory, but she couldn't take the time to focus on it now.

"Your brother is lucky to have you," she commented, taking Boromir by surprise.

"Thank you," he replied. "You are very kind,"

It was clear that he did not fully agree with her assessment, which broke her heart. What tragedy had befallen this family to tear them apart like this? Judging by the absence of a lady in the hall, and then the home, when they entered it, she assumed the tear began with Lord Denethor's wife. Turning her focus to the home, she saw that it, too, was grand, and no expense had been spared in the furnishings, even if they were lacking in color. It not only spoke of status, but of the desire, or delusion of greater status that that which existed. Danica felt uncomfortable in the place, as if she was walking into her own prison cell. Cold shivers ran down her spine, but she pushed them away. So long as Gandalf was with her, she would be safe. Thankfully, their rooms ended up being right next to one another, which helped ease her anxiety.

Boromir left them to clean up from the road before dinner. Danica had barely managed to wash her face and change into different clothes before Gandalf came knocking. She quickly opened the door, eager to hear what Gandalf had thought about what transpired in the hall.

"How did he know who I was?" she asked immediately.

"I do not know," Gandalf replied, brows drawn into a single, stern line. "There is your spear, but I cannot imagine people would automatically assume that a young woman with a spear is a legend who supposedly died more than half a century ago. No, someone who has information they shouldn't told Denethor. As of right now, I have no idea who may have told him, or how,"

"It feels dangerous here," Danica admitted. "I feel like a rabbit who's been lured into a fox den,"

Gandalf grumbled something unintelligible. "It would surprise me if you felt at ease," he then said. "Gondor has long lived in the shadow of Mordor's wrath, and has been the front line against it. You and your abilities could be considered a great weapon against the orcs. There is no doubt in my mind that Denethor wants to keep you here as such a weapon. It was for this reason that I wanted to keep your identity secret,"

The panicked need to run was strong in Danica's gut, but they still had work to do. So, she focused on something else.

"The brothers, Boromir and Faramir seemed familiar to me. They have something to do with whatever is coming,"

Gandalf's eyes were clear and shrewd. "That would make sense. Even if the two were not so duty-bound, Denethor would surely push them into such important events. Make sure he has a hand in it all. Do you remember what their role was?"

Danica shook her head. "I was going to try and look into it tonight,"

"Just be careful," Gandalf warned. "As you said; we are in the fox's den, and you can see the lion's from here,"

Dinner was delicious, and uncomfortable. Denethor's eyes were piercing, and greedy. They proved Gandalf's theory, and Danica's fears true. Denethor had no intention of letting her leave his city. The brothers must have known something, because even their conversation seemed stilted. When Denethor asked her to sing, it made her feel somehow dirty, but she obliged. For some reason, she chose "The Hanging Tree." As the meaning became clearer, their host's eyes hardened. He knew that she suspected him, and thus began the chess game. She could only hope that her dreams could help her stay a few moves ahead until she could escape.

With that in mind, she asked for a glass of spiced wine before bed to calm herself. She needed to get to sleep so she could get answers. If Thorin was there, it would mean another set of eyes, though he wouldn't be at all pleased with the situation. It pained her to keep secrets, but if he knew the entirety of her circumstances, he would try to come and rescue her. Denethor had yet to ask about Thorin, and Danica wished to hide his identity until he was safely in Erebor. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called, assuming it was someone with the wine. She had offered to get it herself, but Denethor wouldn't hear of it, and had commanded a maid to do it. When Danica opened the door, the maid was holding a steaming mug of tea instead.

"Forgive me, my lady, but I thought you may like some spiced tea. I hope you do not mind me taking the liberty," the apology was given meekly, with the maid's dark eyes remaining on the tray in her hands.

The scent wafting up from the tea was so divine, Danica forgot all about the wine. "It smells wonderful, thank you,"

After taking the tea, she thought the maid would have left, but she remained with the tray. She was a kind-looking young woman, probably in her early twenties. Her hair was auburn, and some of the curliest Danica had ever seen.

"I also brought a mixture of dried leaves with some peppermint. You can put it next to your bed. It will help you sleep,"

Curious, Danica wrapped a hand around the cloth bundle. Peppermint was not the only scent that came up, but it soothed her, and made her eyes grow heavy. It reminded her of when she would use essential oils at home.

"This was very kind of you, thank you," Danica said, smiling warmly. "My stomach has been unsettled recently,"

The maid bobbed her head, and scurried off. Danica couldn't help but notice how odd the encounter was. She made a mental note to seek the girl out the next day and speak with her. Closing the door, Danica took the mug and bundle, and slid under the sheets of the bed. After only a few sips of the tea, her body and mind felt completely relaxed. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on Boromir and Faramir as she fell asleep.

_The room was dimly lit, the air heavy with grief. Two young boys stood on either side of a large bed, upon which a woman lay. She was very still, with the shadow of death upon her thin, pale face. Each breath came further and further apart, and took a great deal of effort. Once, this woman would have been a great beauty, but now, that beauty could only be seen in her sons. _

_ "Please, Mama. Please don't die," the smaller boy sobbed. His brother stood silent, face determinedly stoic. A few tears betrayed his efforts. _

_ Very slowly, the woman opened her eyes, and lifted a hand to stroke her youngest son's face. "Be brave, Faramir. I love you with all that I am. Your father loves you as well. One day, he will remember it," _

_ Faramir collapsed, his head dropping to the bed. His mother's hand rested on his head, then she turned to Boromir, who watched his mother intently. _

_ "Boromir, I am sorry to leave you with such a heavy burden. Watch over your brother, and love him as I would. I am so proud of both of you, and love you more than you will ever know," she went silent for a while longer, and when she spoke again, Danica couldn't make out every word, but heard something about the sea. A few minutes later, and she was gone. _

_ A man came into the room, and silently walked to the bed. He stared down at the woman's body, took a deep breath, and then pulled Boromir into his arms. While father and son took comfort in each other, Faramir clutched his mother's hand, sobbing silently. Danica had to work to keep her own tears silent. The scene faded, followed by numerous images of Boromir doing whatever he could to show his brother love, and convince their father to do the same. His pleas fell on deaf ears. Denethor saw no use for the "spare." Danica's heart ached painfully, even as she wished to slap Denethor into the next world. Though her parents had not been nearly so cruel, watching Faramir go through his life ignored reminded her of her own childhood. _

_ Danica was the younger sister, and often in the shadow of the elder. Unlike Boromir, her sister basked in the attention of their parents, and exploited it with manipulative mastery. Without meaning to, she watched Boromir and Faramir's past turn into her own. She would cry to her mother when her sister bullied her, only to be pushed aside. "The whole world is not out to get you." While this was normal once or twice in a child's life, it made up most of Danica's. Becoming frustrated with herself, she changed the dream to show hers and Thorin's room in Erebor. It was bittersweet, but more of a comfort than her childhood. _

_ "How many traumas are you going to hide from me?" _

_ For the first time in a while, she was surprised to see Thorin. Relieved, she went straight into his arms. _

_ "Maybe some of my ability is rubbing off on you," she joked. _

_ "Or, perhaps my dreams have become so linked with yours, that it is impossible to be separated," _

_ "Not sure how I feel about that," she admitted, pulling back. "Just another way I have altered your life without your permission," _

_ "Dani," Thorin took her chin in his hand, and kissed her. "I have stated before that I would not change a thing. Besides, that comment was meant to be facetious," _

_ Danica sighed. "I'm sorry," _

_ Thorin led her to the chairs in front of the fireplace. He sat in one, and pulled her onto his lap. "Tell me, what has you looking into tragic childhoods?" _

_ Caught, she explained how Boromir and Faramir had seemed familiar, and that she had wanted to use her dreams to find out why. As usual, he saw what she was trying to hide. _

_ "How did the Steward know your identity?" he questions, clearly as troubled as she had been._

_ "We haven't figured that out yet. For the time being, I wanted to figure out why his sons were so familiar. I got distracted before I could get my answer," _

_ "So I saw," his hand began stroking lazily along her thigh. "You never mentioned the neglect in your childhood," _

_ Danica shrugged. "I honestly don't think about it much, anymore. My parents apologized a long time ago, and our relationship has been mended," _

_ "But it still hurts," _

_ "Every now and again, but I never had it as bad as Faramir. I can only imagine the pain he felt. Which reminds me; I should really get back to going through these memories. Care to join me?" _

_ He smiled. "Seeing as how my only plan with my dreams was to see you, I cannot object," _

_ They stood, and Danica focused on the brothers. She saw Boromir in Rivendell, and Faramir trekking through some woods with other men, dressed to blend in. A loud horn blast echoed around her and Thorin. The woods changed slightly, and they saw Boromir blowing on a horn while a multitude of orcs lay dead around him. Except, they were too large to be orcs. Not too far away, hordes of them were running toward Boromir. _

_ "What in Durin's name are these monsters?" Thorin breathed. _

_ Danica knew, but couldn't answer. Her eyes had found two small figures behind Boromir. Merry and Pippin. Her heart lodged in her throat, making the desire to scream at them moot. Then, she remembered; the hobbits survived this. Boromir did not. _

_ "No," she murmured. "No, I don't want to see this," _

_ Just like that, they were back in Erebor. She began pacing in front of the fire as some of the pieces fell into place. _

_ "What happened?" Thorin asked softly. "Why were Merry and Pippin there?" _

_ "The Fellowship of the Ring," some of the voices from her dream with Kili and Galadriel began to make sense. "A group that will come together to take the Ring back to Mordor to be destroyed. Boromir dies in that battle we saw. He takes many arrows to defend Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai. That's what those creatures were. Damnit," it was so much harder now that she had met him, and spoken with him. He was too good of a man for the death he was going to be given. _

_ Thorin cursed on a sigh, and sat. Once Danica stopped pacing, they both just stared at the flames. "We don't have much time, do we?" _

_ Again, Danica couldn't answer. She just shook her head. Thorin held out his hand to her, and they went to lay on the bed. Without even looking in the library, Danica had gotten her answers. At first, she felt like the trip to Gondor was a waste, but she never would have gotten here without seeing the brothers face-to-face._

_ "Come home," Thorin said, just as she was thinking it. "Come home to me. Whatever comes next, we will face it together," _

_ Though she wasn't exactly sure how she would accomplish that, she nodded. "I promise, first opportunity I have, I will come to you," _

_ It was the best she could do. _


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N.** Whew. Moving sucks. Thankfully, the worst is over, and now we slowly start unpacking the kitchen boxes, and catch up on laundry. Hope everyone out there is doing well!  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

First thing the next morning, Danica went straight to Gandalf, and told him of her revelation. There were scroll son the bed, telling her that he'd already done a lot of his own research. Her dream was the final confirmation of all of Gandalf's fears. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and took a deep breath.

"I have been doing everything I can to keep this world safe, but it was not enough," there was a weariness in his voice that Danica knew she could never understand.

"You have done more than anyone else could, or would. That counts for something in my book," she knelt beside the wizard, putting a hand on his knee.

He looked down, and smiled fondly at her. "Considering all you have done for the safety of this world, I will take that as a high compliment," he patted her cheek, then looked at the scrolls. "I have one final hope that Bilbo's ring is not the One, but I will have to go back to Bag End,"

Danica nodded. "Alright. I will travel to Erebor, then,"

Gandalf shook his head. "I do not feel comfortable with the idea of you traveling alone, nor would Thorin,"

Knowing he was right; Danica chewed the inside of her lip. "Alright, what would you suggest?"

Like a whirlwind, he suddenly sped around the room, gathering the scrolls. "come with me as far as Lorien. We may be able to find someone who can escort you to Erebor,"

"May? Gandalf, I can't wait for a 'may,'"

"It is the best I can do, especially since it will be a fight getting you out of this city,"

He had her there. She begrudgingly agreed, and went back to her room to get ready. A guard was waiting for her.

"His Lordship wishes to see you, my Lady,"

The words were a request, the tone and meaning were not. Feeling cold, Danica followed the guard through the main hall they had been greeted into a smaller chamber. It, too, was made of marble, but felt colder and darker. Something whispered over the hair on her arms, and coiled around her throat. Her eyes found the pedestal, but she had already known it was there. Time meant nothing, and so she didn't notice the guard leave, and Denethor enter. All of her focus remained on leather-covered pedestal.

"I assume you know what that is," Denethor's voice was soft, but still echoed.

"This is how you knew who I was," even as she spoke, she couldn't tear her eyes from the object.

"Nothing can be hidden from me, Miss MacKay," the condescension in his tone finally broke the spell.

"I am no longer merely 'Miss,' my Lord, and ask that you address me appropriately," never before had titles concerned her, nor how people addressed her. Denethor's casual use of her name had felt like both a slap in the face, and invasion of privacy. It left her uncomfortable and sick.

"You may have married a king, but you come from common blood. The only special part of you is your magic. You are nothing more than a witch,"

"How dare you," Danica seethed. "It is clear that you lost your mind a long time ago, and I do not have to stand here and take your insults," she spun on her heel, and stalked toward the door. It shut in her face, revealing three stone-faced guards. She went cold.

"My kingdom has borne the brunt of Mordor's wrath for as long as I can remember. We have searched, and searched for something that would give us the upper hand, and then you wander willingly into this city. You, the only one who can look into the Dark Lord's mind, and know his plans,"

Her hands began quivering. "You are mistaken,"

He moved closer, and she backed up, but ran into one of the guards. She was trapped.

"It is said that you are a compassionate savior; an angel of mercy fighting against the agents of evil. Help us. Look into his thoughts, and help us find his weakness. It is said that the One Ring is still out there. If you cannot find a way to defeat his mind, find the Ring. We can use it to destroy him,"

Panic had her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. "I promise you, you cannot use the Ring. The only way to destroy Sauron is to destroy the Ring. Please, let me go. Whatever it is you want to do here could only make things worse,"

With one look from Denethor, the guards grabbed her in a vice-like grip, and dragged her to the pedestal.

"Stop!" she yelled. "You can't do this!"

"You will find, Miss MacKay, that I can,"

No amount of kicking or screaming did her any good. Denethor was resolute, and the guards were apparently immune to compassionate tendencies. When Denethor lifted the leather, Danica found herself face-to-face with a Palantir.

"One way or another, you will help us," he said.

"You don't know what you're doing. I don't have the power to stand against him," she was pleading now, praying that something would break through the cold insanity. "I know you must want to save your people, but if you expose me to him, you may do the opposite. What is in my memories could give him everything he'd need to destroy this world, starting with your city,"

"I guess you will have to use that legendary power of yours to make sure that does not happen,"

The guards took her hand, and, with her screaming, placed it on the Palantir.

* * *

The closer Thorin got to Erebor, the easier it was for him to breathe. Humidity lowered, leaving the air crisp and clean. Stopping in Dale was physically painful, but he had promised the troupe that he would watch their performance. They had grown fond his presence, and he had to admit that they had grown on him as well. As he had seen, and expected, their performance was excellent. Each story, dance, and song held the audience without exception, always giving the desired effect of the performer. Nathir was the most popular, particularly among the women, even though he only performed once. It further strengthened Thorin's suspicion that the man had elf blood in him.

There were plenty of people who gave Thorin curious looks, but no one seemed to guess who he was. Except for one woman. She was elderly, her hair snow white, and her skin deeply wrinkled, but her eyes were sharp as a blade. When he saw her, she was sitting with the royal family of Dale. The first glance she threw was somewhat disdainful, but then she did a double-take. Her eyes widened, and he knew that she recognized him. She must have lived in Laketown during the quest. Would she give his identity away? They kept an eye on each other, but she never approached him.

He shared an inn with the troupe that night, but the only sleep he found was during his dream with Danica. It felt like hours, but turned out to be only a couple. When he woke, he felt hopeful, knowing that she was going to be making her way home to him. At dawn, he rose, and made his way down to the dining room. As early as it was, he didn't expect any food, but was pleasantly surprised by some freshly baked bread. While he washed it down with water, Nathir came down and joined him.

"I suppose this is where our paths diverge," Nathir commented, taking a jug of apple cider.

"It is," Thorin replied. "I must thank you for your kindness and hospitality,"

"Think nothing of it. We all enjoyed your company. The troupe will be sad to see you go,"

"They are a talented group. You should be proud of them,"

Nathir smiled, and Thorin expected a farewell to come next, but it didn't.

"Forgive my forwardness, but I have known your identity since we saw you and your wife at the ford. Whatever has brought you back here, and forced you to separate from her, I hope it will be for good. If you ever need my assistance, here are our normal, seasonal locations, so you will know where to find me,"

Unsure how to respond, Thorin accepted the piece of parchment Nathir handed him.

"Why did you not say anything to anyone?" he finally asked.

"Because I knew the circumstances must be dire for the King and Queen under the Mountain to fake their deaths, and then come back 60 years later, only to be parted,"

Thorin shook his head. "You do have elven blood, don't you?"

Nathir nodded. "Half. I chose the life of a mortal. I have never wanted immortality,"

Having already lived a long life, Thorin couldn't blame him. Immortality seemed like more of a curse than a gift. Then again, knowing that Danica would likely die before him, any kind of long life would be miserable.

"Well, I appreciate your discretion, though I do not fully understand your willingness to help us,"

The peaceful light went out in Nathir's eyes, sobering his entire countenance. "If you would permit me to visit you in Erebor, we could talk more then,"

The proposition made Thorin uneasy, but there was clearly something important Nathir wished to discuss.

"How long will you be here?" Thorin asked. "I can speak with Fili, and meet with you tomorrow,"

They shook on it, and then bid each other farewell. Thorin's intuition told him that whatever it was Nathir had to say, it had to do with his and Danica's reappearance. Whether it was that, or the nerves of returning home, Thorin felt antsy walking down the hill to Erebor. His chest clenched painfully, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. What was happening? He tried to ignore it when he reached the gates of Erebor, so he could address the sentries.

"What is your business here, friend?" one of them asked in Khuzdul.

"I am Thorin, son of Thrain. Tell King Fili that his uncle has come home"

It was like the air had been sucked from their lungs. They looked at each other, and then one of them rushed inside.

"Come inside, please," the remaining sentry turned, and gestured Thorin into the foyer.

The mountain was already bustling with morning foot traffic as people got up, and headed to their work, or appointments. For the most part, they kept their eyes forward, but a few cast curious glances his way. He noticed some familiar faces from Ered Luin and the Iron Hills. There were so many new as well. Dwarves from the far east and south. It was encouraging to see the people of Mahal uniting.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," a casual greeting pulled Thorin's attention further down the hall.

He looked so much like his father. Fili had matured into a fine dwarf, his hair and moustache braided simply, but with dignity. Some hard years lined his face, but energy still radiated from him, and his eyes widened at the sight of Thorin. A grin split across his face, and he was then running toward him. They embraced in a hard hug, laughing with tears in their eyes.

"I thought I would never see you again," Fili said. "No one knew what happened to you,"

They parted, and Fili looked around expectantly.

"Danica is with Gandalf in Gondor," Thorin stated, answering the question in Fili's eyes. "It is a long story, and we have much to catch up on,"

Fili nodded. "We can speak in my quarters,"

"Look what the cat dragged in,"

Warmth spread through Thorin's chest. Turning, he saw Dwalin standing nearby, arms crossed over his chest. The stern façade quickly melted away, and the two embraced much the way Thorin and Fili had.

"Ye have a lot of explaining to do," Dwalin grumbled.

Thorin smiled. "If you come with us, you will learn all you wish to know,"

As they walked to Fili's quarters, the dark feeling Thorin had experienced earlier strengthening. He managed to catch Fili and Dwalin up on everything that had happened, but remained distracted.

"What is bothering ye, Thorin?" Dwalin questioned.

"I am not entirely sure," Thorin admitted. "It's as if something dark is lurking at the edge of my conscious; a dread that will not go away,"

"Dani," Fili breathed. "It must have to do with her. You two were always so connected,"

Though he knew it was true, Thorin had desperately wished otherwise. The moment he had left her, he'd had a sinking feeling that something bad would happen. Now, he was too far away to help her. He opened his mouth to speak, then heard his name whispered. Blood going cold, he held up a hand, asking for silence. Only a moment later, he heard it again. It was Danica.

"I need one of you to knock me out. Now,"

"What is it?" Fili asked, alarmed.

"Now!" Thorin roared. Before Fili could question any further, Dwalin struck Thorin in the neck, hitting a nerve, and all went black.

_Everything was fire and heat. Thorin immediately felt like he was back in Erebor during Smaug's attack. A dark voice echoed around, speaking in a tongue Thorin couldn't understand. Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream shattered the air. Any pain from the heat disappeared as Thorin frantically looked around for his wife. _

_ "Danica!" the moment his call circled the air, the flames died down, and he could see the top of Minas Tirith. Danica was standing at the edge, quivering and wide-eyed. She staggered toward him, and clung to him once he caught her. _

_ "How are you here?" her voice was weak and broken, parts of visible skin red and burned. _

_ "You called me," he replied. "Somehow I heard you while I was with Fili and Dwalin. I had Dwalin render me unconscious," _

_ Danica shook her head. "Under different circumstances, I would be relieved to have you here, but it's too dangerous right now," _

_ "Sauron," he looked around, but could only see the city and landscape, darkened by smoke. _

_ "Yes, and he's been using a battering ram against Danica's mind," _

_ Never in Thorin's life would he have thought to hear that voice again. Making sure to keep a firm hold on Danica, he looked over at his youngest nephew. _

_ "Kili," today certainly was a day for reunions. _

_ "Hello, Uncle," Kili smiled warmly. "It is good to see you, though I am sure we both wish it was under different circumstances," _

_ Thorin wasn't completely sure what he wished in that moment. "What is happening here?" _

_ Danica explained about Denethor, and the Palantir. Thorin felt sick, and knew that if he ever saw the Steward of Gondor, he could wrap his hands around his throat, and squeeze, watching the life leave the man's eyes. Kili had shown up when Sauron was getting close to breaking Danica's mind. She was using all the strength she had to keep him at bay._

_ "I can't hold him back much longer," she confessed. "He already made his way in once," _

_ The dark voice hissed around them once again. Danica whimpered, and squeezed her eyes shut. Sweat broke out across her brow from the effort of keeping Sauron out. A laugh followed the hiss, and when Sauron spoke again, he used the common tongue. _

_ "She remembers now, and her knowledge will soon be mine," _

_ "No," Danica ground out, clutching Thorin's shirt so hard he was sure it would rip._

_ "Not while we are here," Thorin growled. _

_ "How little you know, dwarf," Sauron taunted. "I wanted her to call you here. Once I have taken control of her mind, her power will be used to kill you," _

_ Danica's shaking became more violent, and tears streamed down her face. _

_ "That is not possible," Thorin shook his head, wrapping his arms around his wife. _

_ Sauron's soft chuckle had gooseflesh rippling across Thorin's arms. Kili's sigh made it all worse. "It is possible," _

_ With Kili's words came an image of a marble room, lit by a window, and the strange light coming from a stone. A stone upon which Danica's hand appeared to be stuck. Two guards were trying to pry her hand from it, while another man, Lord Denethor, yelled at them from a safe distance. A third guard lay behind them all, blood still pooling from his nose and mouth. _

_ "This is what the Dreamwalker is capable of. She can change one's mind and memories, and damage them enough to kill the person," there was a lustful edge to Sauron's tone. He had plans for these new-found powers. _

_ "What can we do?" Thorin questioned softly of Danica and Kili. "There has to be some way out of here," _

_ "Only one that I can think of," Danica managed. "You're not going to like it, but I need your help," _

_ "Anything," and he meant it. _

_ "I think I can send myself to Rivendell, but I'm weak," _

_ "Whatever strength I have, it is yours, but what about the risks?" he thought back to her bloody nose on top of Bilbo's house. _

_ She looked into his eyes, and saw that there was no other choice. "I have to try," _

_ Fear twisted his gut. There was no real way of knowing where, or when she would show up, and this time, he couldn't go with her. _

_ "Can you go to Erebor?" he asked, knowing it was a long shot. _

_ More tears streamed down her cheeks. "I need the magic that Elrond gives to Rivendell,"_

_ Hugging her tightly, Thorin cursed Sauron with all he had. Finally, he kissed her. Briefly, but deeply. _

_ "Do what you need to do," _

_ Closing her eyes again, she took Thorin's hands, and began to breathe deeply. Kili walked over, standing close to them. When he put a hand on her shoulder, magic began to grow around them, nipping at their skin. Wind blew, picking up errant leaves from the few trees. Sauron's voice boomed menacingly around them, but Thorin kept his focus on Danica. In a sudden flash of light, she was gone. _

He woke on a strangled yell, thrashing in the darkness. There was a fire somewhere to his right, which only heightened his panic. Jumping from the bed, he looked for something he could use as a weapon. The door burst open just as he wrapped his fingers around a base. However, it was Fili who walked in.

"Thorin! Thank Mahal you're awake!"

"Fili," Thorin lowered the vase, and rubbed a hand over his face. "How long have I been out? A few weeks, Fili informed. He suggested they sit, his eyes troubled. "We have no way of knowing what had happened.

"Has anyone heard from Danica?"

Fili looked down, and sighed. "We have received word from Gandalf and Lord Elrond; Dani is nowhere to be found,"


End file.
